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Archives by date > 2014 > July > 22nd

India Buys C-130J-30 Hercules for Special Forces

Jul 22, 2014 19:29 UTC

Latest updates[?]: India buys another 6, would grow fleet to 11.
C130-30 India

1st flight

In May 2006, India Defence quoted Air Chief S.P. Tyagi saying that “the IAF is planning to buy C-130J planes” for its special forces and Border Security Forces. Reports indicate that the IAF was particularly attracted to the C-130J’s ability to land and take off even in improvised or short airfields, and without lights. Those characteristics have served the Hercules well in other anti-terrorism scenarios like Operation Yonatan in Entebbe, and are now more routine maneuvers thanks to the C-130J Hercules’ modern avionics and increased engine power. That extra power also means that the ‘J’ model performs well in “hot and high” conditions, which can reduce the useful load of older Hercules or similar transport aircraft by 50-60%.

The new C-130J-30 planes will be bracketed by India’s larger Ilyushin IL-76 jet transports on the high end, and on the lower end by twin-engine Antonov AN-32 turboprops. India’s interest in the Hercules is quite specific to the Special Forces at the moment; but the plane’s capacity for additional specialty operations like aerial refueling enhances those operations, and gives the IAF a number of additional employment options. The AN-32s are currently undergoing mid-life refurbishment, and a joint project with Russia’s Irkut looks set to develop a Hercules competitor in time for the AN-32’s replacement cycle. In the interim, however, India is fielding 11 C-130J-30s for its Special Forces…

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Jordan’s AC-235 and AC-295 Pocket Gunships

Jul 22, 2014 16:43 UTC

Latest updates[?]: AC-295 baseline finalized a month after the contract, but plans to add new capabilities; AC-235 vs. MC-27J comparison chart.
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CN-235 gunship

AC-235 concept

In February 2011, with unrest engulfing the Middle East, ATK announced a project with Jordan to turn 2 Jordanian CN-235 light transport aircraft into small aerial gunships. In June 2014, they were so pleased by the results that they decided to convert one of their larger C295s.

The aircraft pack electro-optical targeting systems that include a laser designator, aircraft self-protection equipment, and a weapons suite of Hellfire laser-guided missiles, laser-guided APKWS-II 70mm/2.75 inch rockets, and the same M230 link-fed 30mm chain gun that equips AH-64 Apache helicopters. The weapons are all controlled by ATK’s STAR mission system, turning the Airbus light transports into lethal but relatively inexpensive counter-insurgency platforms…

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Saab Won’t Chase Danish Jet Deal

Jul 22, 2014 15:51 UTC

  • According to a Danish newspaper Saab bowed out of Denmark’s fighter jet competition [in Danish] because they think the country’s participation in the F-35 program makes the deal a foregone conclusion. Politiken [in Danish] | Reuters. The F-35 was barely disguised in a couple episodes of Denmark’s highly recommended Borgen TV series.

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