How to get rid of a Hercules

[sisemen]

So what do you do when you have a fleet of time-expired Hercules'?

Simples - you just off-load them to the nearest 3rd world neighbour

Indonesia to receive heavy lift planes from Australia

Indonesia to receive heavy lift planes from Australia - The West Australian (http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/article/14106243/indonesia-to-receive-heavy-lift-planes-from-australia/)

Any other bright ideas for getting rid of your rubbish?

[Airborne Aircrew]

A C-130 is rubbish? There are Dakota's still pulling their weight all over the world....

[racedo]

Don't think anybody wants Gillard so Aussies can keep her.....

[Buster Hyman]

Pity. Could have created a decent fleet of fire bombers. (Todays sad events notwithstanding)

[500N]

Rubbish ? I thought they still worked fine ?

Well, 50 years ago we were going to bomb them,
now we are giving them planes and are best buddies
and train a fair few of their troops.

Why not put Gillard on one of the Hercs when they are
delivered as a freebie thrown in ?:O

[Andu]

Airborne Aircrew, there's a huge difference in the life span of an unpressurised airframe like a Dak (which can virtually go on forever) and a pressurised airframe like a Herc, (which has a life cycle element). However, having said that, I'm led to believe that the problem with the H models we've just "gifted'(!) to the Indonesians is in the wing boxes, which are in need of replacement, which involves big money. (Why am I horribly suspicious that the long-suffering Australian taxpayer might well pay for those wing box replacements, which are "too expensive" for the ADF to have done, but might be a quite acceptable expense if we've giving the aircraft away?)

The bigger scandal is in the two Chinooks we're BUYING(!!!!) from the Americans with money we will have to borrow in toto to "gift" to the Indonesians, when our own Army Aviation would probably kill to have two more CH-47 airframes in their inventory, if only to cannibalise part from them, because after the recently announced Defence cuts, they couldn't afford to operate them.

[500N]

Foreign Aid Budget - that limitless pit of money
will pay for things the DoD could only dream of.

[Trackmaster]

Andu...gifting Chinooks to Indonesia?
That's the first I've heard of that. We have recently...as in the last few days... taken delivery of two ex-US Army Chooks. They are being worked on in Townsville and it is my understanding they will be operated by Army Aviation.
We have a need for one in Afghanistan at the moment, after the in-theatre aircraft was badly bent in a landing incident.

[Trojan1981]

There will be no Australian-purchased Chinooks going to Indonesia. Maybe if we give the Indos some H-models they can use them for SAR in the Indian Ocean :E

[helo425]

But not ours

[helo425]

But not ours

[Old Fella]

I was of the understanding that the C130H aircraft to be "gifted" to Indonesia were to be given "as is - where is" and that the refurbishment said to be required to bring the mothballed gift aircraft back to airworthiness was to be at the expense of the Indonesians. I would be interested to know if they are now airworthy and if they are, are they the original four moth-balled aircraft? Even if our remaining C130H models are in need of centre section wing box upgrade it is likely only because of Ms Gillard's political need to bring the Budget into surplus that would preclude the upgrade being done. As good as the C130J is, it is still not up to par with the C130H in all phases of operation as far as I know.

[FoxtrotAlpha18]

The H airframes to be gifted have not yet been identified, and there is talk of the Indons and possibly others in the region taking more than four subject to US FMS approval. Hopefully the RAAF Museum and maybe AMTDU can keep at least one each...

The deal is the aircraft to be gifted will not be refurbished, but will come with sufficient hours remaining before their next scheduled mx periods to be operationally viable, but the Indons will be responsible for all future scheduled mx.

Lots of work to be done yet though...

[Buster Hyman]

Knowing our Pollies, the Indonesians probably said "You fly them to Jakarta & we'll get them airworthy again..."

[eagle 86]

Plus the promise of a billion dollar loan which we will add to the money that we already borrow from China to gift to a selection of those to the north - gross financial incompetence (don't mention the co2 tax!). The Indons are laughing their t1ts off at this labor government.

[L J R]

Put 92 'boat people' in each herc when they are sent to Indonesia...

[500N]

"The Indons are laughing their t1ts off at this labor government."

+1, Well said.

We also have to help them get up some sort of system to try to find
the boats as they leave. I somehow can't see the Indonesians giving
much thought to that.

What was that I read about helping the Indonesians with SAR ?

[Old Fella]

Just hope they do not substitute the H's for boats and floor load 140-150 a time for mainland Oz.

[herkman]

The serials of the airplanes are well known

A97-001 003 010 and 012

Regards

Col

[judge.oversteer]

Way back in the 1970's we gave 'em Sabres!
Huh!!??
J.O.

[Old Fella]

Yes we did JO. I was crew on a support C130A on the ferry of the Sabres to Indonesia. Hope they have better luck ferrying the H's. They managed to destroy the VASI at Denpassar when they ran one off the runway, on take-off.

[Wiley]

I can confirm that, and before that, we gave a bunch of Sabres to the Malaysians. I well remember that Malaysians grounded most if not all of the fleet within days of them arriving in Malaysia.

Those old enough to remember the Sword will recall that the speed brake doors drooped and hung open after the hydraulics had been off for any length of time. As soon as the Malaysians received their (shiny silver) Sabres, they promptly took to them with a spraygun to give them a dull and boring two tone camo finish. The man on the spray gun did a really special job on those really shiny bits (the hydraulic pistons) in the open speed brakes panels - which had a rather deleterious efect on their operability.

I understand it took many, many man hours to undo his good work.

[Matowtf]

We don't "GIVE" Hercs to anyone. And any foreign country that a PURCHASED a Herc from the USAF will pay the same or more for any modifications that the current US Herc fleet receives.

Also, except in very limited circumstances, the Hercs that are sold are not the current model of the active fleet; they're mostly "B" models out of the boneyard in Tucson.

Finally, The US SELLS Hercs (and other aircraft) to foreign countries for a reason; part of the deal is that the US gets rights to operate in whatever country to which it sells aircraft. If foreign countries aren't given the opportunity to buy from the US, they'll go elsewhere - not a good scenario.

[GreenKnight121]

As this is your first post on this board, I'll repeat the info from the first couple of posts...

This thread is talking about the AUSTRALIAN Air Force C-130Hs that are being given to Indonesia... NOT any US C-130s!

They are being given "as is"... with Indonesia to pay for any necessary repairs or upgrades.