I knew I'd read it somewhere!
Flight Daily News, July 06
"Flight Daily News learned that Boeing briefed the appropriate Director of Equipment Capability on its C-130 Avionics Modernisation Programme (AMP) earlier this week, pushing an upgrade of the existing aircraft as the best solution to the RAF’s SF requirement. Many analysts had dismissed this possibility as the existing aircraft are close to reaching the end of their fatigue lives, but Boeing used Farnborough to reveal its ‘secret weapon’ – a Total Life Extension programme that promises to deliver a 30,000 hour extension to the Hercules life.
Boeing has used its experience of working on the C-17 wing box to design an innovative centre wing box refurbishment that does not require removal of the wing or wing box, and which is therefore much cheaper and quicker than centre wing box solutions based on Lockheed’s technical order.
Testing of the centre wing box life extension is expected to be completed this year."
So why wasn't this option pursued?