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BG Archive
— Airlifter Comparisons — Leased C-130J Hercules? |
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Note: this page is for
ACP-Tactical and C-130J background context only – neither of the two C-130J lease offers
was taken up by DND.
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Gift Horses and Misapplying Lessons Learned
In early 2005, Britain said it was willing to lease near-new ex-RAF C-130J Hercules to interested allies. DND was briefed about this opportunity (including
staff within the office of the Minister of National Defence). Details of the proposal or its lease terms were not
released – except that it involved ten aircraft. Inevitably, the press made comparisons with the ill-considered
lease of ex- Royal Navy submarines. Gift horses or not, the very idea of leasing used was now
besmirched.
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“Not big enough, Ma’am!”
Objections to leasing RAF C-130Js sprang from both inside CF Air Staff as well as “industry
sources” [1] which claimed that the ’Js on offer are just too small. In fact, the offered aircraft are
exactly the same length as all but two of the existing CF Hercules fleet. Of that fleet, 19 are very
crotchety CC-130Es bought between 1964 and 1967. [2] Canada had a chance to replace half of those
’Es at a stroke.
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The aircraft that were on offer are known to the British as Hercules C Mk5s (although even the RAF will refer
to them as C-130Js). The C Mk5 is a standard-fuselage Hercules. It differs from Canadian CC-130s in having
a digital, 2-crew cockpit and 6-bladed propellers driven by more powerful engines. That additional
power is a desirable feature but may also have contributed to the rejection of the British offer. Those new engines
make stretched Hercules more viable and it is that
longer model that CF Air Staff set their cap at.
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The Long and Short of British Hercs
The C Mk5 Hercules offered exactly the same cargo hold dimensions as the old in-service Canadian
Forces CC-130s. [3] However, despite the urgency inherent in operating a Hercules fleet with
record high flying hours, there is no evidence that the Air Force took much interest in the British
offer. Apparently the leasing option had less obvious downsides. At the time, one unofficial suggestion
was that the English-only RAF placards and repairs manuals could pose insurmount- able problems for official
bilingualism. Translating manuals would be too expensive and placards could not be altered on leased
aircraft.
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Lockheed Martin countered the RAF offer within weeks. Later in March ’05, LM offered its own Hercules lease
arrangement but, this time, on brand-new C-130Js straight from the factory. Claiming that the lease deal would cost
no more than maintaining the current Herc fleet, an LM spokeperson said that how “ the lease
is structured is entirely up to Canada”. A few weeks later at CANSEC it was revealed that Canada was offered stretch ’Js with payments not due until the
first aircraft was delivered (as early as 2008). The structure of the arrangment opened the possibility
of leasing-to-own C-130Js. At the time, the future of continuing C-130J production was uncertain and LM
was prepared to be flexible. Since then, C-130J fortunes have improved and LM is probably quite
relieved that Canada declined its lease offer. DND’s reasons for refusing were never revealed.
Obviously, speed of delivery didn’t top their list of priorities.
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[1] Of course, it is the job of industry to sell us something, but here we should say caveat venditor.
We are not told who this (at best) ill- informed “industry source” represents or what they are trying to
sell. Few commissions would be earned in this proposed lease. Such an arrangement might also adversely affect
DND efforts to procure both Fixed-Wing SAR aircraft and C-17 strategic airlifters. The
latter was a focus for then-Defence Critic Gordon O’Connor’s attack on the Liberal government’s late
2005 plan to buy C-130Js. Once Mr. O’Connor was MND, that “single-source” C-130J Hercules order
was cancelled and buying Boeing C-17s was once again the top Air Force priority.
[2] The first Canadian Hercules were four CC-130Bs which entered service in 1960. Three surviving CC-130Bs
were traded in when 24 new CC-130Es were bought. The original 14 CC-130Hs (with more powerful engines,
stronger landing gear, etc.) followed in 1974. In 1987, the 22 remaining CC-130Es were upgraded with ’H-
model engines and undercarriage components to help standardize the CF’s Hercules fleet.
[3] The stretch Hercules models (indicated by the suffix -30 following the designation) have two
extra fuselage sections inserted (a 2.54 m ‘barrel’ behind the cockpit and another 2.03 m plug just
behind the wings). RAF C-130J-30s are officially designation as Hercules C Mk.4s.
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