The CC-130-J Hercules Merged Thread

[captloadie]

What is the rationale in switching to the 600 series of numbers instead of the 300 series?

 

[dapaterson]

Different AC type in a number of ways, thus 600 series.  Or, at lesat, that's my take on it.

(Or someone in Ottawa needed "Leading change" points on a PER...)

 

[Jungle]

(Or someone in Ottawa needed "Leading change" points on a PER...)

And I believe that is one of the main reasons the CF are not going through a change of culture, but living in a culture of change !!

The PER should read: "Leading change, when necessary and after careful planning and consideration" 

 

[WingsofFury]

They're not going anywhere anytime soon - so no worries.

That's good to know - any idea on how many frames are going to be saved for SAR, and is there any chance they'll be used if the Buffalo is phased out??

 

[newfin]

What happens to these aircraft as soon as they are received by the AF?  Do they undergo a period of testing before they are able to fly their first mission?  I haven't read that 601 was used operationally yet.

 

[WingsofFury]

From my understanding (limited) the crews have been training on it so far.

That training has involved some night flights as well as practice cargo drops.

 

[WingsofFury]

Taxiing out to active for a training drop at an unknown location yesterday - it sure is one long aircraft!

 

[hauger]

Good shots....taken from the passenger terminal?

As a note, 602 was nowhere near Mountainview yesterday.

 

[WingsofFury]

Looks like I'll have to take back the beer I was going to send to my buddy for the advisement...lol

And yes, Sir, they were taken from the passenger terminal as she was taxiing by on her way out.  I also have a shot of her arrival, but it looks like one of the others already posted here.

Cheers!

 

[Haletown]

nice picture . . couple of ours in the lineup


http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2010/09/photo-op-c-130j-family-photo.html

 

[Retired AF Guy]

From the DND News Room:

New J-model transport aircraft lands at CFS Alert

Sept. 21, 2010

The new CC-130J Hercules and its crew from 436 (Transport) Squadron of 8 Wing Trenton, Ont., landed at Canadian Forces Station Alert for the first time on September 20, 2010. The aircraft participated in a regular re-supply mission and also transported two drums of hazardous waste out of the North.

Of the 17 new J-models, purchased by the Canadian Forces from Lockheed Martin, three have been delivered since June 2010 and two more are expected by the end of this year.

CFS Alert maintains signals intelligence facilities to support of Canadian military operations. Signals intelligence is conducted remotely, using the equipment and facilities located Alert. It is located on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, and is the most northerly inhabited location in the world.

Photo Credits: Maj Brent Hoddinot.

 

[Jorkapp]

I was on the Boxtop ground crew when it landed. It looks like a nice bird.

 

[old medic]

New Hercules aircraft to land in Afghanistan before year’s end
Matthew Fisher, Postmedia News
03 October 2010

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/Hercules+aircraft+land+Afghanistan+before+year/3617187/story.html

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — After nearly half a century, the Canadian Forces’ vintage C-130 Hercules fleet of is about to get a dramatic upgrade.

The first of 17 stretched C-130J models of Hercules aircraft the Harper government ordered nearly three years ago at a cost of $1.4-billion is to begin flying combat support missions in war-torn southern Afghanistan by the end of the year, several months earlier than originally planned.

“It’s a generational leap,” Maj. Mark McCullins said of the new aircraft. “Having a J model is like having an extra engine on the Hercules,” which could prove to be a critical advantage in Afghanistan, where extremely hot temperatures and the high altitude make takeoffs with heavy loads especially tricky.

The new Hercules, which can fly faster and further and carry about 25% more cargo than the aircraft it is replacing, may also be a boon to recruiters trying to attract the computer generation, said Maj. McCullins, who has flown 300 hours as a test pilot on the new variant and runs Canada’s current Hercules fleet based in the Middle East and Afghanistan, which is comprised of the much-less-capable E and H models.

“It should appeal to kids who want to fly because it has a fully digital cockpit and a head’s up display that is similar to that of an F-22 fighter,” he said, referring to the most sophisticated jet flown by the U.S. Air Force.

A few of the current fleet of Hercules already have an astounding 45,000 hours on their airframes. However, because of their age, nearly two-thirds are out of service at any time for maintenance. The J models, which have distinctive bent black propellers, are expected to much less maintenance than the aircraft they’re replacing.

Six of the new tactical airlifters are already being tested at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario. The order, from Lockheed Martin, is to be completed by the end of 2012.

The E models, which were purchased in the 1960s, are to be retired. The H models, which are somewhat younger, are to be assigned to search-and-rescue duty and in-air refuelling duties in Canada.

As recently as two or three years ago, almost no J model Hercules aircraft flew out of Kandahar. But most Hercules now flown from the airfield by the United States, Britain and Australia are the new models that Canada will also soon be flying.

 

[karl28]

Glad to here that the new J are working out well for the airforce .

 

[RedFive]

I made a number of searches with no results, so apologies if this has been answered before.

Looking at the pictures of both Canadian and American C-130Js, they have a distinctive black patch at the bottom of the vertical stabilizer. What is the purpose for this? Is it a high-wear area? Or is there some kind of instrument under there? It doesn't appear to be on older C-130 models.

Again if this has been answered somewhere else, or it's the wrong place to ask, apologies.

Red

 

[Haletown]

I made a number of searches with no results, so apologies if this has been answered before.

Looking at the pictures of both Canadian and American C-130Js, they have a distinctive black patch at the bottom of the vertical stabilizer. What is the purpose for this? Is it a high-wear area? Or is there some kind of instrument under there? It doesn't appear to be on older C-130 models.

Again if this has been answered somewhere else, or it's the wrong place to ask, apologies.

Red

this might be the answer  . . . 

"The twin HF antennas that run from the vertical stabilizer to mounts on either side of forward fuselage on all C-130 variants up until now are also deleted, that antenna is now likely inside the black dilectric panel at the base of the C-130J's vertical stab."

http://www.cybermodeler.com/hobby/kits/it/kit_it_2643.shtml

 

[WingsofFury]

I made a number of searches with no results, so apologies if this has been answered before.

Looking at the pictures of both Canadian and American C-130Js, they have a distinctive black patch at the bottom of the vertical stabilizer. What is the purpose for this? Is it a high-wear area? Or is there some kind of instrument under there? It doesn't appear to be on older C-130 models.

Again if this has been answered somewhere else, or it's the wrong place to ask, apologies.

Red

It's actually a de-icing patch.  While flight testing, it was discovered that for some reason that area became vulnerable to ice up, as such they created an internal heating mechanism which inflates with bleed air and then it balloons up to break up any ice on the stab.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

News Room
Arrival of CC-130J Hercules Tactical Aircraft in Afghanistan
NR - 11.001 - January 1, 2011

OTTAWA – The Canadian Forces are proud to welcome today their first deployed CC-130J Hercules tactical aircraft into operational service at Kandahar Airfield in support of our UN-mandated, NATO-led mission to Afghanistan.

“This Government has an incredible record of providing our men and women in uniform with the necessary tools to do the job that is asked of them,” declared the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, during his recent visit with Canadian Forces members serving in Afghanistan. “These impressive new aircraft – which were delivered on budget and ahead of schedule – will serve Canada and Canadians well for years to come,” he said.

“The quick introduction of the J-model Hercules in Afghanistan clearly demonstrates the Air Force’s flexibility to sustain vital airlift mission in the complex environment of high-intensity joint operations,” said Lieutenant-General André Deschamps, Chief of Air Staff. “Our air wing operations in Afghanistan highlight the value of an agile and expeditionary Air Force.” 

The CC-130J provides additional capability and reliability, and will help ensure our continued success in operations thereby helping the Air Force to meet its goal of being the “best in class” for its size, while remaining highly interoperable with our allies.

“The operations in Afghanistan clearly show that the men and women of the Air Force are expertly trained, extremely professional, and highly motivated to make a vital contribution to operational success,” said Colonel Paul Prévost, Commanding Officer of Joint Task Force Afghanistan (JTF-Afg) Air Wing.

The first CC-130J Hercules tactical aircraft arrived in Canada on June 4, 2010, six months ahead of the original scheduled delivery date. The Air Force team demonstrated its agility, flexibility and professional capabilities by readying the aircraft and its crews for deployment to Afghanistan in less than seven months. Training, maintenance and operation procedures needed to be adapted to the specific characteristics of this aircraft, while ensuring an efficient and effective implementation schedule that will facilitate safe, effective, and sustained operations.
The new CC-130J Hercules aircraft will belong to the Tactical Aviation Unit (Task Force CANUCK), which is part of the JTF-Afg Air Wing. This tactical aircraft will be used for missions such as intra-theatre transport of troops and cargo, battlefield illumination, and drops of combat packages. A second CC-130J Hercules aircraft will deploy to Afghanistan in late Spring 2011.

All 17 CC-130Js will be based at 8 Wing Trenton, along with the future Air Mobility Training Centre that will house the equipment and personnel required to train the operators and maintainers of the CC-130J Hercules aircraft.

-30-

Note to Editors / News Directors:

For more information about the use of the CC-130J in Afghanistan, please contact the Media Liaison Office at: 1-866-377-0811 or 613-996-2353.

For more general information about the airframe, please visit the Air Force website: www.airforce.forces.gc.ca

Imagery is available at the Operation ATHENA 2010 image gallery: http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca

 

[MarkOttawa]

A400M looks to have limited sales potential even when C-17 line shuts down--but what about Embraer's KC-390 (civil jets have done rather well, at Bombardier's expense), and others?

A400M, KC-390 Will Reshape Transport Market
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/awst/2011/01/24/AW_01_24_2011_p60-261396.xml

The military transport market will see production of almost 900 new aircraft over the next decade, but the raw numbers obscure major changes in the landscape. Production of the Boeing C-17 could end, leaving the strategic transport market to the Airbus Military A400M, while the Lockheed Martin C-130J will face a challenge for the tactical sector from Embraer’s new KC-390.

In the absence of Congressional funding for more U.S. Air Force aircraft, Boeing has restructured C-17 production to be economic at a lower rate but cannot hope to keep the line going indefinitely on export orders. Forecast International projects the last C-17 will be delivered in 2016, leaving the A400M as the only large Western transport capable of the strategic airlift mission...

The ultimate size of the market for the A400M is an open question. Like the C-17, the aircraft is a niche product...

The difficulty for Airbus Military is that, while less expensive than a C-17, the A400M is still too costly for all but the most well-heeled of the world’s militaries. Big aircraft need big budgets, and much of the world is cutting defense expenditures and rationalizing or pooling strategic transport capabilities.

The current sweet spot in the transport market is favors smaller aircraft, in the space largely owned by Lockheed Martin’s C-130J. The international replacement market for older model C-130s is expected to grow in coming years, and several manufacturers are developing designs aimed at replacing the large numbers of older C-130s and aging Soviet-era Antonov An-12s expected to be retired by air arms around the world.

Brazilian manufacturer Embraer is developing the KC-390 to meet a 28-aircraft Brazilian air force requirement to replace its C-130s, but is doing so with an eye to expanding its presence in the military aircraft market. The KC-390’s interior dimensions are similar to those of a C-130J-30, but its jet engines will enable it to cruise higher and faster. Embraer and the Brazilian government formally launched the program in April 2009 with a seven-year, $1.37-billion development contract including two prototypes. Since then, Brazil has secured commitments from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Portugal and the Czech Republic to negotiate participation in development and production and place orders for the KC-390. First flight is tentatively scheduled for 2013, with deliveries to begin in 2015.

China’s Harbin, meanwhile, has been working for several years on the Y-9 design, a four-engine turboprop with modern avionics that closely matches the C-130J in size and payload...

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Zoomie]

Looks like something that could compete in the FWSAR category - giddy up.