An old H model 130, simple airplane same basic design that was built for 50 years, the only real thing that you have to monitor on the fuselage is the center wing which has a tendency to develop cracks over time plus some problems with the hot air deicing system.
Two questions that I would appreciate someone to answer: (a) Are there not enough surplus C-130s at Davis-Montham which can be refurbished as required and costing less than buying one from the RAF. (b) Has the reasons for the crash of the Marine KC-130T in Mississippi been established yet. RIP. Thank you.
Hate to see it go, but is understandable. It is a pressurized a/c that builds lots of cycles. I would rather see this than to see it suffer structural fail in front of fans.... Would not be a good event.
The emplacement C130J bought from the British Royal air force for a shale we shay a cheap friends price ,is already in the paint shop ,this is old news .
At a guess... the US military wants to use theirs. The RAF possibly has some excess capacity as A-400Ms come on line. And the MOD could probably do with the cash. Pure speculation on my part.
The RAF wants to get rid of its shorter Hercules C5s (C-130J) and standardise on the longer C4 (C-130J-30) and A400M.
Second-hand aircraft are cheaper than new-builds made "hear" (or anywhere else). By the way, British Columbia is a Canadian province and doesn't have an air force.
Facts...they're easy to find when you're already online.