Wing Work To Extend Life of U.K. Airlifters

[mary_hinge]

Wing Work To Extend Life of U.K. Airlifters - Defense News (http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3683648&c=AIR&s=TOP)

LONDON - Part of the Royal Air Force's (RAF) C-130K Hercules fleet is to be refurbished with a new outer wing in a deal signed recently with Canadian aerospace company Spar.

Work on the wing refurbishment has already begun at Spar's Edmonton facility in Canada. The first aircraft contracted for by the British is scheduled to be delivered to the RAF in the third quarter of next year.

Spar, a subsidiary of L-3 Communications, will undertake the life extension work on three aircraft in an $18 million deal announced Aug. 19. The deal could be extended to include more C-130Ks. A company spokesman said it is "possible the U.K. will need more C-130 modifications like this."
Britain's Hercules project leader, RAF Group Capt. Mark Hobbs, says replacing the outer wings will extend the life of a number of essential operational aircraft to meet their planned out-of-service dates.
The L-3 spokesman said the work being undertaken by Spar is expected to extend the aircraft's life by about 15,000 hours.
The spokesman said that Spar, which has modified and maintained more than 300 Hercules in Canada, is working closely with Marshall of Cambridge, the U.K. C-130 design authority, to meet airworthiness standards.
The British C-130K and J fleets have been heavily used in ongoing deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. The C-130K fleet was due to start being withdrawn in 2010, but that has been put back until at least 2012 following problems with its replacement, the Airbus A400M airlifter.

[PICKS135]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v379/f4phixeruk/spar-logo.gif

Amazing what shopkeepers can do nowadays:E:E:E:E

[Double Zero]

Picks135,

you beat me to it; but bear in mind that most Spar's have been taken over by Asian corner-shops, who are actually a lot more useful; 'I'll have a tin of beans, some rice and an aileron, please !'

And at virtually any time of day or night - you don't get that at BAe...

[parapauk]

I'm having visions of a K 50th anniversary flypast :}

[Biggus]

Aircraft due out of service in 2012 (ish), refurbishment work extends life by 15,000 hours.......

Are we expecting them to fly 3,750 hrs per year (10 hours a day - every day).....?

Still, if the work needs doing to allow them to carry on, as opposed to being consigned to the scrapheap, I suppose it doesn't really matter if you only use 4,000 odd of those extra 15,000 hours.

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

Lyneham has been awash with rumours for many years now, I've heard them all.

It would be nice to have a full brief on the Herc/A400M/Lyneham/Brize situation to quash them all.

My rumour on this one is that they are refurbishing the outer wings, one set at a time, so refurbished wings removed from the first aircraft will end up on the second. Which is quite promising, what?

Heard that the first set to be refurbished were found in a field on car tyres close to the base where we sent the buy-back aircraft.

Better re-do that one right at the end then. Sorted.

I might be wrong, but I had my hair cut recently.

[herkman]

This actually is a similair modification that was done to the six RAAF c130E's that were given to the PAF by the US.

One of the reasons that the RAAF traded them to Lockheed, was that the wings were out of life and the RAAF did not see the sense in throwing anymore money at them,

The RAAF C130E were only a few frame numbers away from the first of the C130K's,

The modification would be cost justified, but only if there were not more problems involved elsewhere in the airframe.

Like say the centre section life.

One of the reasons why some of the K models traded to Lockheed were scrapped, was the planking rework was not uo to scratch.

Good airplanes they were, must be getting very tired.

I for one am glad we did not get involved with the A400m, and bought the C17.

A K model getting to 50 years anniversary, now appears very likely.

Regards

Col

[StopStart]

One wonders what they are trying to achieve. I, like SPLH, would be interested to hear a full brief on the direction this is all going in. I suspect the reason we won't get one though is that there probably isn't one and we shall continue to lurch from crisis to crisis.

:cool:

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

Proooooooooooone,

Have you checked out where Herk bloke lives...................TWIT :rolleyes:

Guess you did as your post has vanished :p

[pr00ne]

Seldomfitforpurpose,

Oh yes, swiftly deleted after extent of foot in mouth detected..................

[cessnapete]

A400M not likely to fly this year, due continuing problems in getting C130 testbed airborne & flying off 50hrs. before A400M maiden flight.

Also at Cambridge ,glass cockpit Tri -Star mod in trouble.
Unable to 'un-mod' to standard fit quickly, so no help to present Tri availability shortfall.

[parapauk]

One wonders what they are trying to achieve. I, like SPLH, would be interested to hear a full brief on the direction this is all going in. I suspect the reason we won't get one though is that there probably isn't one and we shall continue to lurch from crisis to crisis.


There is a plan (honest gov!). The J's get the SF mods starting in 2012 with a IOC in 2013, IIRC. The trouble is at this rate the J fleet will be starting to need some wing work at about the same time as well, so to avoid a gap while the J's are being given the mods and worked on, and while the A400M is being delivered, the K's will be needed. It was all in a report published about 2 months ago, but I can't find it.

[herkman]

It should also be consdered that as the J model wings are basically the H model wing with a few minor changes, that with the higher HP, wing life on the J will be lower than the K.

The A400m is not a proven product, what will happen if the aircraft is delayed even more into service, one only has to recall the problem of the Belfast flying slower than predicted.

If I was in MOD, would be looking to bring the C17 fleet up to at least 14 frames.

Regards

Col

[AARON O'DICKYDIDO]

Mary Hinge

Very interesting but what about the mainplane centre section? Is there not FI problems with that?

[mary_hinge]

In 2005:
They were looking to bridge the gap to the A400M transport's introduction in 2010 by squeezing more service from the C1 batch. They conceded at that time that any unforeseen arisings, "such as centre wing cracks," could ground the fleet.

Hercules Crash In Baghdad Points To Metal Fatigue In C130's Wing Center | Air Safety Week | Find Articles at BNET (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0UBT/is_7_19/ai_n10020756/pg_2?tag=artBody;col1)

[StopStart]

All they need to do (other than new wings) is put the Ks onto low fatigue tasking (there's plenty of it about). That would extend them a fair bit and keep the boys and girls flying for the next few years instead of being mucked about like they are now with unserviceabilities etc.

That's going to need a few mindset changes at egdl though so don't hold your breath. :rolleyes:

[Long Drop]

The frames FI may be being extended by the wing sections being replaced but there is a problem that is being overlooked. Everyone has been told that the K model Herc WILL go out of service in 2012, therefore, all the sensible crew members have sorted out their lives ensuring they will be doing something else come 2012. This maybe in service or outside but it will be interesting to see come the extension of service of the frame whether there will be the crews to fly them. It's only 3 1/2 years away and the the OCU is already down to minimums. Just a thought.

[mary_hinge]

Not sure of all the dates, but for many years Marshall Aerospace had a contract for a “Tip-to-Tip” fatigue test rig for the C130K wing. At the stage of decommissioning and swapping over to the C130J, the rig was well in advance of any expected problems for the K Model. The un-expected problems then came along in the shape of the current sand pit and our Governments over ambitious plans.

A new contract was commissioned for the C130K fuselage test rig and I’m not sure if this encompasses the centre wing. A new C130J wing fatigue test is also in operation at Marshall along the K model fuselage test

We now have extra hours and cycles on the legacy fleet, the A400M moving to the right and the things to ask:
What data going forward do we have for the K?
What are the results so far on the J?
Why now switch to Canada for the repair work?

[SuctionBoost]

When the FI issue was identified a few years ago, low fatigue consumption tasking was suggested. The idea appears not to have fitted into the “Big Picture”.