Had a quick scan and I can't see any link/reference to the evidence (Sqn Ldr Rtd.) Andy Netherwood gave to the HC Defence committee on the C-130
https://committees.parliament.uk/ora...nce/12869/pdf/ as part of its sessions on Aviation Procurement. Seems to sum things up nicely.
(emphases in bold are mine)
Q225 Gavin Robinson: Good morning, Mr Netherwood. What is the purpose and function of the air mobility fleet? What impact will the capability cuts announced in the 2021 Defence Command Paper have on the overall ability of the UK’s air mobility force to fulfil its role?
Andy Netherwood: The air mobility force provides fixed-wing air mobility to primarily the Ministry of Defence, but other Government Departments as well. Air mobility is the ability to deploy, sustain and recover personnel and equipment, often over a significant distance. The C-130 has been an important component of the UK air mobility force for many years, providing 14 aircraft that were to be retained until the early 2030s. As you know, that decision was changed in the 2015 Defence Command Paper, and they decided to retire it early this year.
On the impact that will have on the air mobility force, it is helpful to divide that into capability and capacity. In terms of capability, again it is helpful to divide that into two. The first capability loss will be temporary. This refers to the gap between the C-130 being retired and certain niche capabilities being transferred across to the A400M. I have read the evidence from the Chief of the Air Staff and Air Marshal Martin, and I understand that will be complete by 2025. So we are looking at a two-year, or a year-and-a-half gap in some niche capabilities. Some capability loss will be permanent. Having an aircraft that is capable of carrying between 10 and 37 tonnes of cargo, and an aircraft that get into the smallest airfields—something a bit smaller and more discreet than a larger aircraft such as an A400 or a C-17—is very important.
Turning to capacity, on the tactical air mobility side, the loss of the C-130 will result in an approximately one-third cut in the number of tactical air mobility task lines. It is a significant cut in the overall airlift capacity that is available to UK Defence and other Government Departments. That will be enduring, although it will be slightly mitigated if the plan to buy an additional six A400s towards the end of this decade goes ahead.
Q230 Chair: Okay. Would another capability be, for example on a very short runway, or a bumpy dirt track of Hercules can do with ease, and take off, versus the A400 is a lot larger aircraft built to do those sorts of thing?
Andy Netherwood: Yes. Both A400 and C-130 are capable of landing on short, austere strips. I understand that the Committee has been trying to drag out of Airbus and Lockheed which aircraft type can land on the shortest strips. The issue is that calculating aircraft performance depends on a whole bunch of parameters. That makes it easy to adjust those parameters to get the answer that you’re looking for. I have looked at the Airbus figures, which demonstrate that if you’re operating at max C-130 range and with higher payloads, then A400 can operate on the shorter strip. If you’re looking at larger load sizes, whether that load is cargo, fuel or both, then yes, that is going to favour the A400. It is a larger aircraft, so it is more efficient at larger payload and fuel weights.
If you wanted to get into a really small strip, the commander would be choosing a C-130. You can mitigate the range issue in other ways. If you had tiny strip and the C-130 could only get in taking a fairly small amount of fuel out, you could mitigate that either by prepositioning to an airfield closer to where you were going or using air-to-air refuelling. If the strip is too small for an A400, it is too small. You can’t get in. It is as simple as that.
The other issue with operating with small airfields is that airfields with small runways tend to have small aircraft handling platforms as well—small taxiways and small ramps—so you want a smaller aircraft, because otherwise you will find that you will not have room for all the other surfaces. It is not just about the runway.