Sources close to the industry confi rmed to SP’s that the contract for six Super Hercules from Lockheed Martin was inked with the US Government on February 7.

American aircraft, such as the ubiquitous Dakota DC3 of World War II vintage, were the first to debut in the Transport Fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) established soon after Independence. Post 1962 Sino-Indian conflict these were augmented by the Fairchild Packet C119G. In the subsequent years, the IAF leaned heavily on the Soviet Union for military equipment, receiving the An-12 in the mid-1960s followed by medium lift An-32 and heavy lift Il-76 in the 1980s.

Russian transport aircraft are rugged, reliable, and powerful and require pilots with as much brawn as brain to operate. IAF pilots flew the Russian transport aircraft with a high degree of skill and confidence, but they longed to be in the cockpit of an American transport aircraft, particularly the C-130 Hercules which is designed both for crew comfort and exceptional operational attributes and has been visiting India off and on since 1962.

First flown in 1954, different versions of the 20-tonne Class C-130 are used by many air forces in the world. Over the years, it has evolved into the Super Hercules designated as the C-130J—a powerful and rugged aircraft with the capability to operate from short, semi-prepared runways in hot and high conditions. With a computer controlled automated cargo handling system, the aircraft is capable of high degree precision in para-drop. The aircraft carries an impressive array of avionics, such as Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR), Head-up Display (HUD) and sophisticated Navigational Aids with which it can operate without deterioration in performance in extremely adverse weather conditions. It can even operate from an unlit airstrip in complete darkness. For self-protection, it carries missile warning and counter-measure systems, radar warning systems, electronic countermeasure systems and secure communication systems, all essential prerequisites for special operations. In many respects, the C-130J is reported to be clearly ahead of its contemporaries from Europe or Russia.