The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) has retired the first of its five C-130H Hercules transports. The aircraft, bearing the serial number ‘NZ7003’, performed its final flight on 9 February, flying from RNZAF Base Auckland to Base Woodbourne near...
To read the full article, please log in or enter your email below:
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) has retired the first of its five C-130H Hercules transports. The aircraft, bearing the serial number ‘NZ7003’, performed its final flight on 9 February, flying from RNZAF Base Auckland to Base Woodbourne near Blenheim.
The veteran aircraft had arrived in New Zealand way back in 1965, so it has served faithfully for 58 years. It was one of a trio that reached New Zealand that year, while the two others in the fleet are relative youngsters since they only arrived in 1969.
No. 40 Squadron operates these utilitarian workhorses, and they have flown to such distant places as the Middle East, South Pacific and Antarctica over the intervening years.
The C-130H fleet underwent a life extension programme beginning in 2005, adding an avionics upgrade and a structural refurbishment.
The days of the remaining quartet are numbered too, since they will soon be replaced by five brand new Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules purchased via the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route.
A contract, which was awarded without a competitive tender, was announced by Wellington on 5 June 2020. The government had approved a sole-source procurement the previous year. The government explained at the time that an FMS purchase reduced costs and allows collaboration with other nations on developments and system upgrades over the life of the aircraft.
The contract was worth NZD1.521 billion (USD990 million), and encompasses the five aircraft, a full-mission flight simulator and ground infrastructure upgrades. It stipulated that the first aircraft delivery would occur in 2024, and all five will be operating by the end of 2025.
Indeed, Lockheed Martin is expected to begin making New Zealand’s first C-130J in March once a critical design review is complete.
Their arrival will enable a phased withdrawal of the incumbent Hercules fleet, which has proven to be more and more difficult to keep flying. Indeed, on at least one occasion the complete Kiwi fleet of Hercules has been grounded and unavailable for missions.
The then defence minister at the time, Ron Mark, described this acquisition as his ‘highest priority’.
The C-130Js will come with equipment such as a wide-bandwidth, high-speed SATCOM system, plus an electro-optical/infrared camera. The SATCOM will permit imagery, data and video to be streamed in real time, and the camera can be used for aerial surveillance during humanitarian and disaster relief missions, or search and rescue tasks.
Like their predecessors, the new Hercules aircraft will need to operate in extreme environments like the frozen wastes of Antarctica or the topical humidity of the Pacific islands.
Certainly, the C-130J is more capable than the older C-130H and this translates into significant improvements. If flying to Samoa for a disaster relief mission, for example, it would take seven flights instead of ten, and 70 flight hours instead of 105, to deliver 50 pallets of supplies.
Its range of 2,400nm compares to 1,800nm for the C-130H, while the C-130J can accommodate 21 tonnes of cargo or 128 passengers, compared to 18.1 tonnes and 92 personnel for the latter.
Former defence minister Mark said of the associated simulator, it will help ‘build and maintain crew skills, and allow more demanding training scenarios to be attempted without risk to personnel, and while preserving flight hours for operational tasks’.
The RNZAF is also receiving four new P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from Boeing, the first of which touched down at RNZAF Base Ohakea in December 2022. Incoming P-8As have allowed the full retirement of the venerable P-3K2 Orion fleet of five aircraft.
Another platform that needs replacement is the RNZAF’s pair of Boeing 757 transport aircraft. Their lifespan matures at the end of the decade.
Columbia Helicopters has renewed its aerial firefighting contract with CMC Savunma Sanayi A.S. (CMC) in Turkey. This marks Columbia's fifth…
Mayman Aerospace has announced the successful completion of test flights for the RAZOR P100, which will be the first commercial…
China Airlines of Taiwan has signed a firm order with Airbus for ten A350-1000s, finalising a commitment announced by the…
Rheinmetall and Lockheed Martin, partners in the Global Mobile Artillery Rocket System (GMARS) program, recent hosted a summit to discuss…
CAE Defense & Security has been awarded the competitive re-compete to support the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence (AVCOE)…
Israeli company BIRD Aerosystems has obtained Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval for the installation of its Airborne Missile Protection System…
Turkish defence company Havelsan has signed an agreement with the Chilean Navy for the ADVENT Combat Management System (CMS). Chile…
The US Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) has awarded Boeing a $240 million contract to remanufacture five MH-47G Block…
LEAV Aviation has partnered with AirFi to introduce a new inflight entertainment, connectivity, and retail system from March 2025. The…
AAR CORP. has extended its exclusive Serviceable Engine Products agreement with FTAI Aviation Ltd. for the CFM56 used serviceable material…
Integrated and Reliable Data Distribution Systems for Naval Platforms Developed by HAVELSAN, the Platform Data Distribution System (PDDS) and Submarine…
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has showcased the RobDozer, a remotely operated military bulldozer, during a demonstration in the United States…
HAVELSAN has signed a cooperation agreement with Egypt’s Kader Advanced Industrial Factory, affiliated with the Arab Organization for Industrialization, to…
Vojensky technicky ustav, s.p. (VTU), the Czech Republic’s military technical institute, has selected Exail to provide Advans inertial navigation systems…
ASELSAN will participate in LAAD 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 1-4 April, as it seeks to strengthen its…
Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has launched the second 3,200-ton frigate for the Philippine Navy. The vessel, named BRP Diego Silang,…
Japan Airlines (JAL) has confirmed an order for 17 Boeing 737-8 aircraft, expanding its 737 MAX backlog to 38 firm…
The USS Pinckney (DDG 91) has successfully completed Flight Test Other 40 (FTX-40), also known as Stellar Banshee, which evaluated…
DIMOS has expanded its pallet mover range for airport logistics, introducing two new models equipped with integrated scales and lift…
The first AH-64E Apache attack reconnaissance helicopter for the Australian Army has reached the final assembly stage at Boeing’s production…
Sentrycs has been selected to supply counter-UAS (C-UAS) technology for a national security project in Africa following a competitive evaluation…
Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. has reported record financial results for 2024, with a 27% increase in sales, reaching $4.8…
Embraer will showcase high performance, multi-role aircraft as well as comprehensive solutions for air, land, sea, space, and cyber at…
Semi Conductor Devices (SCD), which develops and manufactures a range of cooled and uncooled infrared detectors and high-power laser diodes,…
Indra is coordinating the NG MIMA (Next Generation Military Integrated Modular Avionics) project, a European initiative aimed at developing a…
Boeing has reached a record high in its production of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) seekers, delivering over 500 units in…
Exail has successfully delivered critical navigation equipment to the Finnish Navy, marking a major step forward in the Squadron 2020…
ZeroAvia has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant by AFWERX to study the feasibility of integrating hydrogen…
RENK Group AG has announced a collaboration with NXP Semiconductors to enhance the digitalisation of its product portfolio. The partnership…
The organisers of Indo Aerospace 2024 Expo & Forum will visit the international airshow at Avalon Airport in Victoria, Australia,…
Headquartered in Singapore with reporters spread across all major regions, GBP Aerospace & Defence is a leading media house that publishes three publications that serve the aerospace and defence sector - Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News. Known industry-wide for quality journalism, GBP Aerospace & Defence is present at more international tradeshows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
For over three decades, our award-winning team of reporters has been producing top-notch content to help readers stay abreast of the latest developements in the field of commercial aviation, MRO, defence, and Space.
Copyright 2024. GBP. All Rights Reserved.
Home Defence & Security Space Commercial Aviation Maintence Repair & Overhaul Daily News Events About Us
2025 GBP all rights reserved.