Classic Airplanes and Modern Jets Share the Spotlight

Airplanes enthusiasts in New Zealand are in for a treat! The Royal New Zealand Air Force will celebrate its 75^th anniversary with an airshow at Ohakea on the 31^st of March. Airplane models from the “Classics in the Sky” Tauraga air show will mix with the world’s top military aircraft where “modern world will meet history” in an exciting extravaganza.

A number of vintage aircraft from Tauraga City are expected to be displayed at the event. Classic Flyers director Andrew shared that preparations for the classic airplanes to attend the event are under way, but everything is still very dependent on the weather. However, he is looking forward that Boeing Stearman, Hawk Hunter, CT4 and Dragonfly will be at the airshow.

The Royal New Zealan Air Force will display their past, present and future aircraft. They will show their vintage airplane models like the Spitfire and Mustang. The Air Force will also showcase their newest acquisition like the A109 and NH90 helicopters plus the upgraded C-130 Hercules and P-3 Orions among other military aircraft. The Red Checkers, the aerobatic/precision flying team of the RNZAF will also demonstrate their expertise.

RNZAF Air Commodore Steve Moore says, “It’s the perfect way to celebrate the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s birthday.”

Air Forces from different nations will also participate in the event. The Royal Australian Air Force will send their F-18 fighter jet, which are very rare in New Zealand, and their C-130J Hercules and a Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft.

US Air Force will bring a C-17 Globemaster while the US Marines Corps will display the KC-130 Hercules air-to-air refuelling aircraft. The French Armed Forces of New Caledonia will have the CASA 235 twin-engine transport aircraft at the event while the Singapore Air Force will display one of their C-130.

Seeing the astounding display of modern and classic airplane models will be an incredible experience for every airplane afficionado.

source: http://www.sunlive.co.nz

Argentina wants $166M C-130H upgrade

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency has notified Congress of a potential commercial-off-the-shelf avionics upgrade of five C-130H for the Government of Argentina, as well as associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $166 million.

Argentina has requested a possible purchase of commercial-off-the-shelf avionics upgrade of five C-130H aircraft that includes minor Class IV modifications, ground handling equipment, repair and return, spare and repair parts, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, tools and test equipment, personnel training and training equipment, programmed depot maintenance, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services, and other related elements of program support.

The estimated cost of the C-130 upgrade is $166 million. The proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by improving the security of a major non- NATO ally.

The prime contractors for this C130 Hercules sale are not known at this time. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this proposed sale will require the temporary assignment of approximately two U.S.

Government and 48 contractor representatives to Argentina during the duration of the program.

Source: dsca.mil

UAV Sense-And-Avoid Systems Would Have Avoided Collision

A ground-based sense-and-avoid system being prototyped by the U.S. Army would have prevented the mid-air collision of a C-130 Hercules airlifter with RQ-7 Shadow unmanned aircraft at a forward operation base in eastern Afghanistan on Aug. 15, a service official says.

“Had we been operational with GBSAA [ground-based sense and avoid] we would have completely averted the incident,” says Tim Owings, deputy project manager for Army unmanned aircraft systems.

But a software glitch and the recent FAA furlough have delayed Army plans to test the radar-based GBSAA prototype installed at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems’ El Mirage, Calif., training center for the service’s MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV.

The system uses ground radars at three airports to detect and track aircraft entering a surveillance volume centered on El Mirage when Gray Eagles are transiting through civil airspace to and from nearby restricted airspace used for training.

The first three night-training flights using GBSAA were conducted in April, but a software anomaly on the third flight forced a halt to testing. The glitch has been fixed, but a post-furlough backlog at FAA has prevented tests from resuming, says Mary Ottman, deputy product director for UAV airspace integration.

With 11 hr. of testing complete, another 28 hr. of FAA-monitored testing must be performed before the system can be approved for operational use. This requires the presence of three FAA personnel at El Mirage and is a “big commitment” for the agency, Ottman says, as it works to recover from the furlough.

Investigation showed the radar system was tracking all aircraft as planned, but a program that generates a simulated track to test the system produced an incompatible message. The Army has approved revised software following regression testing using a manned aircraft.

“We began meeting with the FAA in July, and planned to return to flight in August, but then the FAA furlough hit,” Ottman says. Dialogue has resumed since the FAA returned to work, but she does not have a date for a return to flight for the GBSAA at El Mirage.

FAA is working through a backlog of applications for certificates of authorization to operate unmanned aircraft in national airspace that were delayed by the furlough “and we are not the highest priority,” she says.

The C-130 landed safety after the collision with the RQ-7 in Afghanistan, and is repairable in the field, but the incident underlines that “even with procedural controls there is a need for active deconfliction,” Owings says.

Investigation is under way, but “the [Shadow] was where it was supposed to be, doing what it was supposed to,” says Col. Robert Sova, UAV capabilities manager at Army Training and Doctrine Command.

The Shadow was in a holding pattern 4,500 ft. off the end of the runway, where it had been directed by air traffic control, when the C-130 “flew right through,” Owings says. “The manned aircraft did not do what it was procedurally supposed to, nor were they where they thought they were,” Sova says.

 

-aviationweek.com

C-130 collides with RQ-7 over Afghanistan

An Air Force C-130 cargo plane collided with a drone in Afghanistan, a potentially serious mishap that could give ammunition to critics wary of allowing pilotless aircraft to operate in civilian airspace.

A spokesman for the military in Afghanistan, Capt. Justin Brockhoff,  confirmed that a C-130 cargo plane made an emergency landing Monday at a base in eastern Afghanistan after colliding with an RQ-7 Shadow, an unmanned aerial vehicle that is usually operated by the Army and the Marine Corps.

“The C-130 received light damage during the incident and the aircrew was unharmed,” Capt. Brockhoff said. “We have no reports at this time to indicate any injuries or damages were caused when the Shadow impacted the ground,” Capt. Brockhoff said.

Over the past decade, the U.S. military has built a large fleet of remotely piloted aircraft, including armed Predators that can fire antitank missiles and Global Hawks that take detailed pictures from high altitudes. Even so, collisions between manned aircraft and pilotless spy planes have been rare.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Engineer sucked into C-130 plane engine

New Zealand — A long time engineer was sucked to death by a C-130 Hercules plane engine while doing a routine maintenance check early Monday morning.

51-year-old Miles Hunter was working on a C-130 Hercules jet turbo prop engine at Woodbourne airbase, Blenheim, New Zealand.

The C-130 engine was not attached to an airplane, but was on a stand when the accident took place.

Hunter had been working for Safe Air Ltd which is owned by Air New Zealand.

Chief executive of Air New Zealand Rob Fyfe says that officials are at a “complete loss” as how the incident occurred.

“It was a very routine procedure with very experienced people involved,” Fyfe said.

Aviation experts described the accident as a ‘one in a million’ occurrence. The fatality is said to be the first for the airline. In a similar accident, a US Navy serviceman survived after being sucked into a jet engine on an aircraft carrier in 1991.

 

-sg.news.yahoo.com

-blippitt.com

 

C-130s doing well in Afghanistan

Every day there are Airmen at BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan supporting combat airlift missions for Operation Enduring Freedom through the use of the C-130 Hercules.

The C-130s at Bagram Airfield are deployed with the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, which is part of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing. Its Air Force fact sheet states, “Basic and specialized versions of the (C-130) perform a diverse number of roles, including airlift (and airdrop) support …and aeromedical missions.”

“Using its aft loading ramp and door, the C-130 can accommodate a wide variety of oversized cargo, including everything from utility helicopters and six-wheeled armored vehicles to standard palletized cargo and military personnel,” the fact sheet states.

The flexible design of the C-130 also “enables it to be configured for many different missions, allowing for one aircraft to perform the role of many. Much of the special mission equipment added to the Hercules is removable, allowing the aircraft to revert back to its cargo delivery role if desired.

Additionally, the C-130 can be rapidly reconfigured for the various types of cargo such as palletized equipment, floor-loaded material, airdrop platforms, Container Delivery System bundles, vehicles and personnel or aeromedical evacuation.”

From Bagram Airfield, C-130s help airlift and airdrop cargo to forward operating locations throughout the country in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

 

Source: U.S. Air Force

Raytheon deploys MALD from C-130

Raytheon Company launched two Miniature Air Launched Decoy instrumented shapes from the ramp of a C-130 Hercules equipped with the new Raytheon-funded MALD Cargo Air Launched System (MCALS). This test marked the first deployment of a MALD airframe from a cargo aircraft.

MALD is a state-of-the-art, low-cost flight vehicle that is modular, air-launched and programmable. It weighs less than 300 pounds and has a range of approximately 500 nautical miles (about 575 statute miles).

The current MALD family includes both the baseline MALD and a stand-in jammer variant called the MALD-J.

“Dispensing the MALD family of weapons from C-130 cargo aircraft gives warfighters an important new capability they currently don’t have in today’s high-threat environment,” said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems’ Air Warfare Systems product line. “MCALS opens the door for the non-traditional use of a high-capacity aircraft to deliver hundreds of MALDs during a single combat sortie.”

MCALS has a steel, birdcage-like framework body that can hold as many as eight MALDs. MCALS is loaded on a standard cargo pallet, placed on a transport aircraft, and at a pre-determined altitude rapidly ejects the MALDs, which then initiate a standard wing deployment and engine ignition sequence.

“MCALS is another example of the innovative and affordable technologies Raytheon engineers are developing to support the warfighter,” said Bob Francois, vice president of Raytheon Advanced Missiles and Unmanned Systems.

Raytheon Company, with 2010 sales of $25 billion, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world.

Source: Raytheon

Turkey gets approval to buy six C-130Es from Saudi

The United States has approved the sale to Turkey by Saudi Arabia of six U.S.-made C-130E military cargo planes, senior Turkish and U.S. officials said late Monday.

One procurement official told the Hürriyet Daily News that the C-130 planes were being purchased at a very reasonable price, but declined to specify a figure. An industry source suggested the unit price was less than $10 million.

The permission of the United States, the original manufacturer of the cargo planes, was needed. “We weren’t expecting any major problems on this, and everything worked out well. We’re happy about this,” the procurement official said.

The planes are expected to arrive in Turkey later this year. The Turkish Air Force already is flying the older C-130B and C-130E models of the C-130 family, acquired from the United States decades ago.

The C-130E is an extended-range development of the C-130B, with two underwing fuel tanks and increased range and endurance capabilities.The primary mission of the airplane is to provide rapid tactical airlift and airdrop of cargo and troops. The basic crew includes a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, flight engineer, loadmaster and a crew chief. Its’ normal cruising speed is approximately 300 miles per hour at altitudes from 1,000 to 30,000 feet.

Source: hurriyetdailynews.com, globalsecurity.org

Israel orders New C-130J

Lockheed Martin has received an Undefinitized Contract Action from the U.S. Government for the Foreign Military Sale of an additional C 130J to Israel, with funding for advanced procurement items for a third aircraft.

Israel’s first C-130 Hercules was ordered in April 2010 and will be delivered in spring of 2013. The next two aircraft will be delivered in late 2013 and late 2014 respectively. The contract also covers a number of items to meet Israel’s unique operational requirements. The Israeli Air Force’s new Super Hercules are the longer fuselage or “stretched” variant of the C-130J.

“We are providing Israel with the most flexible and capable airlifter in the world as that country continues to expand its advanced airlift fleet. The proven multi-role and multi-mission capability and performance of the C-130J are ideally suited to the unique requirements of the Israeli Air Force,” said Jim Grant, Lockheed Martin vice president of Business Development for Air Mobility.

Source: Lockheed Martin

Australia Probing for Another C-17A Globemaster III

On Mar. 1, Minister for Defense Stephen Smith said Australia is investigating the purchase of an additional C-17A Globemaster III heavy lift aircraft.

Australia has sent a Letter of Request to the United States regarding the potential purchase of an additional C-17A aircraft through the United States Foreign Military Sales program, formally seeking cost and availability information.

Mr. Smith said the Royal Australian Air Force currently had four C-17A Aircraft. They were delivered over the period 2006 to 2008. The first of these became operational in 2007, providing the Australian Defense Force with a global airlift capability.

Recent events in Queensland and Christchurch have underlined the C‑17s as an essential part of Australia’s capacity to respond to natural disasters both within Australia and within our region.

While disaster relief has been a recent public focus for C-17 operations, they continue to support Australian and International Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan and the Middle East, meeting their primary purpose in providing military long-range heavy airlift.

The C‑17A aircraft can lift very large and heavy cargoes over long distances providing a significant contribution to Australia’s ability to reach and respond to events. One C‑17A can carry up to four C-130 Hercules loads in a single lift and cover twice the distance in three-quarters of the time of a C‑130 Hercules.

Mr. Smith said that acquisition of an additional C-17 would almost certainly obviate any need for the acquisition of two additional C-130J-30 aircraft under project AIR 8000 Phase 1.

As outlined in the Public Defense Capability Plan, the additional C-130J acquisition is planned for final decision by Government in the period 2013-14 to FY 2014-15.

Following receipt of cost and availability information from the United States, the Government will make a decision about purchase based on capability, cost and schedule assessments of an additional C-17.

 

-asdnews.com