Lockheed Martin and Indian Tata Advanced Systems have signed an agreement to expand cooperation on C-130J Super Hercules cargo aircraft.
Lockheed Martin has announced the framework agreement's contents, including the establishment of an MRO facility in India for the country's and others' C-130J aircraft and the expansion of C-130J manufacturing and assembly in India to produce aircraft for the IAF's Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) programme.
The MTA programme aims to replace the ageing An-32 and Il-76 cargo aircraft acquired from the USSR and modernised by Ukraine later on. 40 to 80 new aircraft will be acquired within the programme's scope. Lockheed Martin's C-130J-30 Super Hercules, Brazilian Embraer's jet-powered KC-390, and the largest of the trio, Airbus A-400M, are under consideration.
The C-130J-30 Super Hercules is notable for its 20-tonne payload capacity and short takeoff/landing (STOL) capability.
The aircraft, powered by four turboprop engines, can deliver 18+ tonnes of cargo up to a distance of 4400 km. Brazil's KC-390 emphasises speed. With two turbofan engines and a maximum speed of 950 km/h, it outruns turboprop-powered cargo aircraft.
The jet-powered cargo aircraft can carry a payload of 26 tonnes but is shorter in range than the other two because of the turbofan engines' fuel consumption. The largest of the three, the A-400M Atlas, developed in a consortium, can carry 37 tonnes and deliver 33.5 tonnes of payload to a distance of 3000 km.
The European aircraft also flies faster than the C-130J-30, thanks to four TP-400 turboprop engines. However, it is also more expensive, at more than $130 million per unit.
