The Air Force remains one of the big winners of the greatly increased army budget: as is now known, a successor to the aging C-130K “Hercules” (pictured above) will be selected within weeks. The ministry wants to sign a purchase contract at the beginning of 2024 and the planners are also already thinking about possible aircraft types.
When Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) was born in 1970, they had already been in the air for three years: the German Army’s three C-130K “Hercules” transport aircraft. Bought used in 2003, the 56 year old machines are hopelessly outdated. The operation of the propeller plane is expensive, the cruising speed is low, the range is limited and the deployment is manpower intensive – the plane is piloted by three instead of two people in the cockpit.
Numerous requirements for new vans
Only the payload that it can transport is still ideal. “The 20-tonne transport capacity of the ‘Hercules’ is perfect for our needs, and we want to keep up with that,” explained Major General Bruno Hofbauer during a background talk about a possible successor. In this 20-tonne category, Pandur wheeled armored vehicles could be moved with ease, paratroopers dropped off or entire medical containers, so-called flying hospitals, transported to crisis areas with ease. But all of this must be faster and more efficient in the future than with the old vans.
Video: Armed Forces„Hercules“ while practicing with decoys
Two boys as favorites
Replacements are currently being sought in 29 countries. There should be four to five new machines. By the summer, decisions will be made, among other things, between the Brazilian C-390 and a newer C-130 version (in the “Juliette” variant). “We want to sign the contract in the first quarter of 2024,” says Tanner. A government-to-government deal, i.e. a purchase from a friendly country rather than directly from industry, is unlikely to be possible this time, unlike the AW-169 purchase, due to the provider.
Portugal paid almost 900 million euros
“Nevertheless, we assume full transparency and we want to involve the public prosecutor’s office at an early stage,” says the minister. In addition to the acquisition of a new jet fighter fleet (“Krone” reported) and the retrofit of the Eurofighter, this would be the Air Force’s third major project to begin in 2023. For reasons of negotiating tactics, they do not want to say anything about the exact size of the follow-up purchase. To put this in context, in 2019, Portugal paid almost €900 million for five C-390s, including maintenance equipment and training simulators.
New infrastructure in Linz
Major projects are also approaching the Linz-Hörsching location: New hangar facilities are to be built, the planning order for this has already been issued. The old C-130K that are now in service can only fly until 2030 at the latest. After that it’s over. “We don’t expect to resell it after that,” says Hofbauer. It is more likely that the machines will be cannibalized and individual parts sold internationally as spare parts.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
