By IANS,
Washington/New Delhi : The first three of six C-130J Super Hercules airlifters purchased by India in a $1 billion deal with the US have taken their final positions on Lockheed Martin’s assembly line in Marietta, Georgia, even as the evaluation is set to begin of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster, with India intending to purchase 10 of the heavy-lift aircraft.
Equipped with an infrared detection set (IDS), the C-130J for the first time will provide the Indian Air Force (IAF) the ability to conduct precision low-level flying operations, airdrops and landings in blackout conditions.
With the first C-130Js aircraft scheduled for arrival in India February 2011, the Indian Army and the IAF will get “new special operations capabilities using the world’s most advanced airlifter,” the plane’s manufacturer said Wednesday.
To ensure 80 percent availability of the aircraft at any given time, Lockheed Martin has offered a long-term maintenance contract to the IAF on the lines of the ones it has with the US Air Force and the air forces of Australia, Britain and Canada.
The C-130J primarily performs the tactical portion of an airlift mission. The aircraft is capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for air dropping troops and equipment into hostile areas.
The flexible design of the Super Hercules enables it to be configured for many different missions, allowing for one aircraft to perform the role of many. Much of the special mission equipment added to the Super Hercules is removable, allowing the aircraft to quickly switch between roles.
The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) had notified the Congress of the sale of aircraft as well as associated equipment and services in May 2007.
In announcing the deal, the Pentagon had said it “will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of an important partner and to strengthen the US-India strategic relationship, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in South Asia.”
As India and the US are forging an important strategic partnership, the deal “will enhance the foreign policy and national security objectives of the US by providing the Indian Government with a credible special operations airlift capability that will deter aggression in the region, provide humanitarian airlift capability and ensure interoperability with US forces in coalition operations,” it said.
Meanwhile, the IAF is likely to begin trials of the C-17 by the end of the month, an official said in New Delhi.
“It should happen in the next two weeks,” the official told IANS on condition of anonymity.
“The trials should last about 10 days,” he added of the evaluation process of the aircraft, which has a carrying capacity of 75 tonnes.
The trials are likely to be conducted in the same manner as the IAF is evaluating the six combat jets in contention for an order for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft.
This means the C-17, which can take off from unprepared airstrips as short as 3,000 metres, will be put through its paces in the icy heights of Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir, the deserts of Rajasthan and the humid conditions of south India.
Price negotiations will begin after the trials and the first aircraft should arrive within two years of Boeing receiving a letter of acceptance, the official said.
Asked how long it would take for IAF pilots to convert to the C-17, the official said: “Pilots who have done a reasonable number of hours on the Il-76 (the IAF’s current heavy lift aircraft) can convert to command status in a few months.”
The US Congress has cleared the sale of the C-17 to India. The Obama administration had notified Congress April 23 of the potential sale of 10 aircraft and sought objections or approval.
The aircraft are being sold to India under the US government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, with the maximum package value of $5.8 billion. This includes the 3.8 percent administrative fee the government charges to ensure timely delivery and guarantee the supplies.