PS. The J model was obviously so unsuited to Maritime roles that the US Coastguard have just placed another order for more last month!
LJ - The US Coastguard C130s may be absolutely brilliant at the surface surveillance piece, but that is only one part of the role for a proper MPA. And there is quite a bit of difference in performance when you start hanging additional kit on the outside of an airframe. Do your
Js have hardpoints for 6+ ASW weapons? And at what cost to time and performance? Beware of snake oil salesmen promising everything (we might remember the issues that we had with the J when it came into service in its primary role). Do our
Js have hardpoints that are plumbed and wired for weapons? And as to the SC130J Sea Herc MPA - can you imagine the costs involved in converting our
Js into Sea Herks? I'm just not convinced that something that is a design concept will be much cheaper than the existing options - and a lot depends upon whether your government views your role as world player, or a second rate nation.
PN:
Whilst a multi-capable maritime weapons system could effect anti-piracy coordination, do you need something like an MPA? There are plenty of other platforms that can do that.
Are there? The reports that appear in Jane's seem to suggest that the one thing missing from anti-piracy ops (certainly in the Horn of Africa) is the availability of a properly equipped long-range MPA.