June 24/19: Old is New The Bangladesh
Air Force
ordered additional surplus ex-Royal Air Force
C-130J Super Hercules. It previously had ordered two
units from the UK. Marshall Aerospace and Defense Group
will undertake the support contract. The new Super
Hercules aircraft will improve Bangladesh’s overall
airlift and logistics capability. The procurement also
allows the Bangladesh Air Force to retire older C-130B
Hercules it acquired second hand from the US in 2004. The
C-130J is expected to become the most capable airlift
asset of the BAF.
June 12/19: New Zealand chooses Super
Hercules New Zealand’s Ministry of Defense
released its
Defense Capability Plan 2019 on June 11, outlining
the investment priorities for the New Zealand Defense
Force (NZDF) to 2030. The highest priority project within
the plan is the replacement of the five Hercules
transport aircraft. The preferred option for this
replacement is the C-130J-30 Super Hercules, which is a
four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft by
Lockheed Martin. The
C-130J already flies with over 21 nations, including
the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
New Zealand’s current Hercules first started services in
the 1960s and is getting more and more expensive and
harder to maintain. The C-130J-30 is a stretch version of
the C-130J adding 15 feet to the
fuselage, increasing usable space in the cargo
compartment.
June 6/19: C-130H Upgrade L-3
Communications Integrated Systems won a
fixed-price-incentive-firm
contract for aircraft avionics upgrades on 176 C-130H
Hercules military transport aircraft. The deal is worth
$499.6 million. The contract covers engineering and
manufacturing development, as well as training and
logistics requirements. The Hercules was originally
designed as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport
aircraft and is able to user unprepared runways for
takeoff and landing. It is now used for gunship, airborne
assault, search and rescue, scientific research support,
weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol
and aerial firefighting. The 40 variants of the aircraft,
which include the
C-130J Super Hercules, are used by more than 60
countries. Work will primarily be performed at L-3
Communications’ Waco, Texas, facility, with an expected
completion date of Sept. 30, 2029.
April 30/19: SATCOM Suite for five Aussie
Hercules The Royal Australian Air Force will
equip an additional five of its C-130J Hercules
airlifters with an upgraded satellite communications
(satcom) suite, following a successful trial. The first
Hercules aircraft was fitted with SATCOM in 2017. The
system uses the Inmarsat Global Xpress Network to provide
broadband internet connectivity for high-definition video
and is able to support complex mission planning whilst in
flight. The new system is in addition to the L-Band
SATCOM voice and data system fitted to all 12
C-130Js. Installation of the Honeywell JetWave
Ka-Band SATCOM antennas and associated systems will be
completed during scheduled maintenance periods by Airbus
and all five aircraft are expected to be completed by
2022.
March 12/19: AbMN for MC-130J The US Air
Force
awarded Sierra Nevada Corp. a $23.7 million
modification to install an Airborne Mission Networking
(AbMN) Program on the MC-130J Commando II tankers. The
Commando II is an improved variant of the
C-130J aircraft and can be deployed for missions
requiring clandestine, single ship, formation, low-level
in-flight refueling for helicopters and tilt-rotor
aircraft of the US Special Operation Forces. The MC-130J
features extended service life wings and additional
elements to meet the requirements of special operations
missions. Under the contract modification, Sierra Nevada
provides additional hardware and labor necessary to
support the AbMN program through flight test for the
tankers used by Air Force Special Operations Command.
Work will take place in Sparks, Nevada and is expected to
be finished by November 16, 2021.
February 27/19: Propulsion long-term
Sustainment The US Air Force
contracted Rolls-Royce with a $19.5 million
modification for C-130J Propulsion long-term sustainment.
The
C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop
military transport aircraft equipped with Rolls-Royce AE
2100 D3 turboprop engines with Dowty R391 composite
scimitar propellers, digital avionics, and reduced crew
requirements. This technology has improved performance
over its C-130E/H predecessors, such as 40 percent
greater range, 21 percent higher maximum speed, and 41
percent shorter takeoff distance. The delivery order
provides for funding Option II flying hours. Work will
take place at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia as well as
various locations that support C-130J Propulsion
long-term sustainment and is expected to be completed by
the end of January next year.
February 18/19: CWB replacement Marshall
Aerospace and Defence Group
started work on the center-wing box (CWB) replacement
effort for 14 UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Lockheed Martin
C-130J/C-130J-30 Hercules, Jane’s reports. The
Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military
transport aircraft. The RAF fields both the short-bodied
C-130J (designated C5 in RAF service) and long-bodied
C-130J-30 (C4) variants of the Hercules. The Hercules
family has the longest continuous production run of any
military aircraft in history. The CWB sits atop the
aircraft’s main fuselage and forms the attachment point
for the outer wings and the inboard engines.