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US delivers last Super Hercules cargo plane this weekend

StormShadow

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Jan 10, 2011
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NEW DELHI: India is all set to induct the last of the six C-130J Super Hercules cargo plane for its Special Forces this weekend, with the US major Lockheed Martin flying out the aircraft from its Marietta facility near Atlanta in US on Dec 15.

The aircraft fleet of six was bought by India in January 2008 for $1.2 billion and Lockheed Martin began delivery of the fleet in January 2011. The first of the six aircraft was inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) at the Hindon air base in Ghaziabad near the Indian capital in February this year.

"Number six of the six C-130J Super Hercules ordered by India, under the US Foreign Military Sales programme, departed Marietta on Dec 15. This aircraft, like its five predecessors, was delivered ahead of schedule and under budget," a Lockheed Martin official told IANS.

"The aircraft is scheduled to arrive at Hindon this weekend," an IAF officer told IANS, when asked about its arrival.

Since ordering the six planes for its Special Forces operations, India has made a case for buying additional six of these aircraft and the agreement in this regard is all ready for signing, according to the IAF official.

The IAF has already used these planes for carrying out operations, particularly of the humanitarian assistance variety soon after the fleet's induction.

In the aftermath of the severe 6.8 magnitude earthquake in September this year, the C-130J was the first of the planes to fly to the nearest air base in Baghdogra in West Bengal, carrying relief supplies and National Disaster Management Force members, within a flying time of under three hours.

It also did several more sorties to carry relief material for the victims of the earthquake.

On Dec 12 this year, the IAF simulated a piracy contingency at Campbell Bay in Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, the furthermost island territory of India, based on intelligence input that an Indian merchant ship had been hijacked with hostages.

The mission simulated launching of a Para Special Forces team into the area using C-130J as airborne platform. During planning for the mock drill, the objective was found to be 3,500 nautical miles away and the route was fixed through Kolkata and Port Blair to the drop zone over Campbell Bay. The round trip would have required a staggering 12 hours of flying, the IAF official said.

The C-130J that day did a non-stop mission of 12 hours and three minutes without refuelling en route, completing the simulated mission with success, the official said.


The four-engine turboprop military transport plane has a minimum crew of three members comprising two pilots and a load master, can carry 64 fully geared troops and has the capability for a 20-tonne cargo. It can touch speeds of 700 kmph and can take off from landing strips of about 1,000 metres.

US delivers last Super Hercules cargo plane this weekend - The Economic Times
 
We will get total 12:cheers:

It will be good if we raise the total order to be 20 dedicated to special forces and for medium transport we will be developing a new lifter with Russia.
 
offtopic but can someone tell me the difference b/w c130 and c17 whose cost is so high...thanks
Difference? Plenty! Here....

640px-US_Navy_051027-N-4615G-036_A_U.S._Air_Force_C-17_Globemaster_III_and_a_C-130_Hercules_sit_staged_ready_to_transport_supplies_from_Naval_Air_Station_Joint_Reserve_Base_(NAS_JRB)_Fort_Worth,_Texas_to_Florida.jpg

Left: C-17 Globemaster. Right: C-130 Hercules

C-17 Globemaster

General characteristics

Crew: 3: 2 pilots, 1 loadmaster
Capacity: 134 troops with palletized seats or 102 troops with standard centerline seats.
Payload: 170,900 lb (77,519 kg) of cargo distributed at max over 18 463L master pallets or a mix of palletized cargo and vehicles
Length: 174 ft (53 m)
Wingspan: 169.8 ft (51.75 m)
Height: 55.1 ft (16.8 m)
Powerplant: 4 × Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofans, 40,440 lbf (180 kN) each
Fuel capacity: 35,546 US gal (134,556 L)

Performance

Cruise speed: Mach 0.76 (450 knots, 515 mph, 830 km/h)
Range: 2,420 nmi[158] (2,785 mi, 4,482 km)
Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,716 m)
Takeoff run at MTOW: 7,600 ft (2,316 m)
Landing distance: 3,500 ft (1,060 m)

Unit Cost: US$191 million

C-130 Hercules

General characteristics

Crew: 5 (two pilots, navigator, flight engineer and loadmaster)
Capacity: 92 passengers or 64 airborne troops or
Payload: 45,000 lb (20,000 kg)
Length: 97 ft 9 in (29.8 m)
Wingspan: 132 ft 7 in (40.4 m)
Height: 38 ft 3 in (11.6 m)
Max takeoff weight: 155,000 lb (70,300 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Allison T56-A-15 turboprops, 4,590 shp (3,430 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 320 knots (366 mph, 592 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,060 m)
Cruise speed: 292 kn (336 mph, 540 km/h)
Range: 2,050 nmi (2,360 mi, 3,800 km)
Service ceiling: 33,000 ft (10,060 m)
Takeoff distance: 3,586 ft

Unit Cost: US$62 million

Cheers!
 
offtopic but can someone tell me the difference b/w c130 and c17 whose cost is so high...thanks

C130C medium class transport aircraft, mainly for troops or smaller cargo. The C17 is a strategic airlifter, which basically can carry anything defence related, be it troops, cargo, vehicles (a Humvee can be carried in a C130, while the C17 takes a whole MBT).
However, the future seems to be a mix of both, since European countries are going for the A400M, Russia is negotiating the AN 70, Japan got the C 2 and even LM now came up with an C130 NG that is in a similar class like the earlier (between 30 and 40t). These aircrafts can do tactical airlifting of troops, or can be used as mid air refuellers, as well as strategic airlifters at very long ranges.
 

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