The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) has taken delivery of all five Lockheed C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft in late December 2020, the Ministry of Defence announced.
“The arrival of the fifth Hercules is a significant milestone for the team, who have been working hard to bring all the aircraft home before Christmas – ahead of schedule, on budget and to specification,” said Sarah Minson, Deputy Secretary, Capability Delivery.
“The RNZAF is now equipped with a modern and fit-for-purpose capability. Operators have said that the aircraft is quieter and smoother to fly,” added Minson, noting that the type had already been used for various operations since the first C-130J aircraft arrived in September, including several successful flights to Antarctica, carrying cargo to support the work of the New Zealand and United States scientific research programmes at Scott Base and McMurdo Station.
The New Zealand government signed a US$1.5 billion deal for five new C-130J-30 aircraft in 2020 under the Future Air Mobility Capability (FAMC) programme to replace the RNZAF’s ageing C-130H fleet, which first entered service in 1965. The contract also includes a dedicated full motion C-130J simulator, which the service believes will support around 80 percent of pilot training.
The initial tranche of RNZAF crews for the five C-130J aircraft are being trained at the US Air Force (USAF) Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, Arkansas.
The training package includes the instruction of flying instructors and aircrew instructors whose expertise will be used to develop a local C-130J training system in New Zealand. According to the defence ministry, the building to house a new full-motion flight simulator has been completed at Base Auckland, Whenuapai.
Besides improved avionics and engines, the RNZAF’s new C-130J aircraft also features the L3Harris Wescam MX-20 electro-optical sensor system.
by Jr Ng
