US aerospace and defence giant Lockheed Martin, which supplied the South African Air Force (SAAF) with its current strategic transport aircraft, the C-130BZ Hercules, believes that these need to be replaced within the next seven years. This year is the fiftieth anniversary of the start of C-130BZ operations by the SAAF. (It is also the 100th birthday of Lockheed Martin.)
“Around 2020 would be a good time to see a modernised [strategic transport] fleet,” says Lockheed Martin VP: business development initiatives (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Dennys Plessas. “Some concrete steps will need to be taken [by South Africa]. The needs are there. Instead of becoming less, they are becoming more.” (South Africa has some 2 000 troops deployed on peacekeeping operations in Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. These need supporting. Large Russian civilian aircraft are often chartered to do this but, in a crisis, these would not be available.)
On the transport side, the need is not immediate, although a gradual replacement of the existing aircraft might be advisable. “The [Hercules] airplanes that they have today do perform very well the missions the SAAF has, but not all of them,” he states, for the SAAF has to renovate its maritime surveillance capability (currently being carried out by 70-year-old aircraft) and restore its air-to-air refuelling (AAR) tanker capability (lost with the retirement of its Boeing 707s).
The company continues, as part of its marketing activities, to inform the SAAF and the Department of Defence about devel- opments regarding its third-generation C-130J Hercules II, of which 337 have been ordered so far by 15 countries and 285 have been delivered. The SAAF currently has nine C-130BZs, which are operated by 28 Squadron (which is celebrating its seven- tieth anniversary this year). These have all been upgraded to bring them to the same standard as the second-generation C-130H model.
“They have to look at how many mission-capable aircraft they have each day,” he points out. “Denel Aviation has been doing a great job with the [C-130]BZs.” But the aircraft are old and spare parts will become difficult and expensive to source in the coming years. There is also the question of stress and fatigue on the airframe.
Plessas does not expect a sudden major new acquisition programme, however. “No air force that has seven or eight or nine C-130s will decide one day to go suddenly from a C-130H to a -J. What happens is a gradual recapitalisation.” This is what Tunisia is doing – the country currently operates five C-130Bs and two C-130Hs, and has two C-130Js on order to start the replacement of the -Bs. Tunisia will be the first African operator of the C-130J.
Lockheed Martin can offer a cheaper version of the C-130J, referred to as the C-130XJ (X for expandable). It retains all the operational capabilities of the C-130J but has certain systems (required by the US Air Force and some other air forces) removed, reducing the cost. (The deleted US systems can be replaced by other systems, including locally developed ones, if the customer desires – hence, the term ‘expandable’ for this model.) A standard short-fuselage C-130J costs between $82-million and $85-million, while an equivalent -XJ would probably cost around $75-million. (These costs exclude sustainment packages.)
However, the C-130J can also fill the SAAF’s maritime surveillance and AAR tanker roles. The KC-130J tanker is already in operational service with the US Marine Corps.
Regarding maritime surveillance, the company can offer three options. The first of these is an unarmed aircraft with the requisite surveillance radar and other systems, including search-and-rescue beacon locator. This version is already in service with the US Coast Guard as the HC-130J.
The second version is armed against surface targets, with weapons mounted on wing hard points, and it can be fitted with a 30 mm cannon. This is a slight modification of the KC-130J Harvest Hawk version of the Hercules, already in service with the US Marines. The third version is the yet-to-be developed SC-130J, which would have antisubmarine warfare capability, including the ability to carry and drop homing torpedoes.
Note that, using roll-on, roll-off pallets, the same airframe can be used as a transport, tanker or maritime surveillance aircraft, as required. Such pallets can also turn C-130s into fire-fighting aircraft (water – or retardant – bombers), while special enclosed modules can turn them into medical evacuation or VIP aircraft. Most of these specialised mission pallets have already been certified on the C-130J.
“The C-130J represents a proven, flexible, affordable solution for South Africa’s multiple requirements – airlift, maritime surveillance, tanking, border patrol, special operations, medical evacuation and so on,” affirms Plessas. “South Africa has significant C-130 operational expertise as well as more than 50% of the required infrastructure. A coordinated acquisition approach has numerous operational and economic advantages in terms of acqui- sition, life cycle operations and sustain- ment. And C-130J acquisition options can be developed to meet South Africa’s needs.”