Türkiye will buy twelve ex-RAF Super Hercules'
Already rumoured back in July, Türkiye will buy twelve of the fifteen Royal Air Force Super Hercules transport aircraft that have been stored at Cambridge since their withdrawal from use, starting in June 2022.
The aircraft stored consist of two types: the Hercules C4 and Hercules C5. Scramble assesses that the Türk Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanlığı (Turkish Air Force Command) will acquire twelve “stretched fuselage” C-130J-30s, designated by the RAF as Hercules C4. The acquisition of the C-130J-30 makes sense, since the Turkish Air Force already operates the C-130B and C-130E models it is familiar with the aircraft and its logistics. These stretched versions will provide additional tactical transport capacity, their maintenance and logistics costs are relatively low and the total time of flight hours on the airframes is low. Some sources state that one Hercules C5 (C-130J) is part of the deal.
It remains to be seen what the acquisition means for the existing 222 Filo operated fleet of Hercules’ that underwent the locally developed ERCIYES modernisation programme. Under the programme, the avionics modernisation of thirteen C-130Es and six C-130Bs was scheduled by 2nci HIBM.K (2nd Hava İkmal Bakim Merkezi Komutanlığı or Air Supply Maintenance Center Command) at Kayseri-Erkilet. One airframe (former Saudi Air Force 451, serial 65-0451) is stored at Kayseri pending the upgrade, and with this acquisition in mind, it is likely that it will not receive the upgrade and will be cannibalised for spare parts.
Currently stored at Cambrige are the following fifteen Hercules’, twelve of them are now sold to Türkiye:
Hercules C4
ZH865, 382-5408, ex N130JA
ZH866, 382-5414, ex N130JE
ZH867, 382-5416, ex N130JJ
ZH868, 382-5443, ex N130JN
ZH869, 382-5444, ex N130JV
ZH870, 382-5445, ex N73235
ZH871, 382-5446, ex N73238
ZH872, 382-5456, ex N4249Y
ZH874, 382-5458, ex N41030
ZH875, 382-5459, ex N4099R
ZH877, 382-5461, ex N4081M
ZH878, 382-5462, ex N73232
ZH879, 382-5463, ex N4080M
Hercules C5
ZH888, 382-5496, ex N4187
ZH889, 382-5500, ex N4099R
Picture: Scramble Archives (Hercules C4 ZH879 at Amsterdam-Schiphol, on 23 March 2013, Ralph Blok)