Buying the Armed Forces – The Netherlands should let us hitch a ride on the jet deal

The Army’s chief procurement officers are currently trying to take advantage of a rare opportunity. They are to replace the almost 60 year old C-130K ‘Hercules’ fleet. They are expensive to run, travel speed is slow, range is limited and operation is labour-intensive. Another six years and it will become life-threatening due to material fatigue in the three machines that the military operates. One possibility now presents itself in the Netherlands, but more on that later.

There are two guys running
A purchase contract for a successor to the current C-130K must be concluded by 2024 at the latest. There are two types in the running:

• A newer variant of the proven “Hercules” (C-130J) of American production and is powered by four propellers. The design is almost 70 years old, but very proven.
• And a jet aircraft from the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer C-390it was completely redeveloped in 2010 to explicitly address the shortcomings of the well-known “Hercules” in terms of range and speed and exploit it on the global market.

C-390 as favorite
The Ministry of Defense therefore does not regard the American product as superior, but the more modern, jet-powered Brazilian: it flies faster, higher and further than its ‘old brother’ from the US. Recently, several armed forces in Europe, such as those of Hungary or Portugal, have opted against the “Hercules” and the C-390 in long selection processes – including the Netherlands a few months ago. And this is where things get exciting for Austria.

Video: Manufacturer Embraer presents its jet

Piggyback on deal
With the Dutch already in the final phase of their contract negotiations and we haven’t even started yet, Austria is now trying to piggyback on the deal. Since today, Thursday, discussions have been taking place with government representatives in the Netherlands about whether the Dutch want that more than their planned five C-390s – and then resell them to Austria. The number for Austria was four to five copies, which would increase the Dutch order.

No aircraft directly from the manufacturer
The background to this: Ever since the corruption-ridden Eurofighter debacle of the early 2000s, the republic has avoided buying military aircraft directly from their manufacturers at all costs. Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP) prefers to continue shopping – numerous tenders are currently being initiated – with allied states. And buys the planes, sometimes costing billions, from government to government, that is, “from government to government”. But there has to be a possibility, the timing has to be right. Like now with the Dutch.

Dutch people not dirty
According to information from Krone, the Dutch government – which is considered to be very experienced in buying and selling weapons – is consistently positive about the deal. Individual details have yet to be finalized, such as who will receive the first machines. If an agreement is still not reached with the Netherlands, the procurement will become more complex – then the C-130J will be involved again, which the US could acquire through foreign military sales.

New infrastructure in Linz
Regardless of the type decision, another major project is also approaching the Linz-Hörsching location: New hangar facilities will be built, the construction order for this has already been issued. The old C-130Ks currently in service can only fly until 2030. After that it’s over. “We don’t expect resale after that,” Bruno Hofbauer, army planning chief, told “Krone” in the spring. It is more likely that the machines will be cannibalized and individual parts sold internationally as spare parts.