casey Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 Germany is set to buy and operate four to six Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft in a joint effort with France, German reports say on Tuesday 4 October. Berlin with such a move clearly shows it doesn’t have much faith in the Airbus A400M, which is now being delivered to the German Luftwaffe at a painfully slow rate while also showing shortcomings for which Berlin seeks compensation. The Hercules aircraft are to be delivered in 2021 and based in France, according to sources. They would be fitted especially for special operations and be able to operate from unpaved runways. Signal If anything, the purchase is a clear signal to Airbus that the Germans are fed up with the A400M. Germany has 53 of the type on order but only saw delivery of a handful of aircraft as a result of production delays and operational limitations. Berlin now apparently think the A400M will never be the ‘tactical’ airlifter it thought it ordered. France already ordered four C-130J Super Hercules aircraft earlier, while Germany was know before to also look at other options apart from the A400M. A joint purchase of new C-130s was never on the cards, however. The German-Franco aircraft will likely be stationed at Orleans airbase in France, home to the existing French Hercules fleet. Source: http://airheadsfly.com/2016/10/04/germany-fed-up-with-a400m-looks-at-c-130j-hercules/ View full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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