Sounds quite sensible and probably quite urgent given the reported age and state of the current aircraft and world affairs. The Hercules would seem to offer a number of advantages apart from cost. It can be operated with much less infrastructure (airfields, spares, training etc.) and the size of the existing fleet makes them harder to track, more shoal of fish than big shark. Advances in technology probably mean the need for less crew and inflight refueling is obviously an existing capability.