And again...

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....e78377add7.png

and again...


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....f2056a189.jpeg

In my first neck of the wood, there are already concerns about the Marshalls move and now this. I’ve assured friends and acquaintances as long as the Swedes, the Danes, the Dutch, the Kuwaitis and Qataris and now the USN/USMC fly them, then the Herks will always be seen and heard. In fact I was taking a stroll through Fen Ditton few weeks back when I caught this Dutch one on approach for some u/c work.


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....aba7d3c7f.jpeg

also before Xmas, took a stroll down Coldhams Lane and saw the first of many Marine Corps KC-130J (it’s still here lasti heard) to arrive for maintenance work.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....a76bed0cb.jpeg


Puma situation is the equivalent of a heart or an organ transplant anyhow with the replacement penned in with this weeks International Military Helicopter conference.

Was there Not a similar rumor about the Rock Apes around a decade ago??

cheers

On the 60 years of the Herc thread, there is at least one mention of an RAF Herc going u/s on overseas trips, and spares and assistance offered from the locally based overseas unit operating the Herc. Hard to see that happening with the A400.

Regarding the A400, it was interesting to read about the trip taking vaccines down to ASI. Planned dep day/date, could not start the engines at BZZ, so 24 hour delay. Following day, managed to get airborne and got to Cape Verde for fuel stop, funnily had trouble starting engines again but finally got going and off to ASI. Not quite the best advert for A400, article was in Daily Telegraph last week.

I believe the concept, at least at design phase, was that the Airbus civilian network would be perfectly adequate to distribute the required parts, given that the service element would be "in-house". Long time ago, but I do remember they had an answer to everything. I particularly liked the using of the loading ramp to extend the cargo space!

Quick question then, while the pundits are assembled: The A400 seems to spend a lot of flying hours flogging from BZN to EXT to shoot a couple of circuits and flog back to BZN again. Surely such mind-numbingly dull aviating is done in a sim.

We get them here too. It’s a public service to help keep ATCOs current. 😎

And here every now and then.

We even had one or two at Biggin last summer plus a couple of Hercs... not sure they did touch & goes or go arounds...

C'mon, we all know: the only thing to replace an ageing Herc is a newer Herc. :ok:

Well this was a nice surprise over the Scottish Borders at half ten this morning.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....b70c99fa14.jpg

Surely that bit of the Venn diagram which shows what the Herc can do which the A400 cannot is pretty small and diminishing (much as I love the Herc, growing up as I did under the shadow of Lyneham)?

As for SF uses, there are plenty of off-the-shelf civvy options which could meet that need (Kodiak, Caravan - hell even the mighty Skyvan!). Why not add this capability to JSFAW as they did with the Dauphin?

So a Skyvan can fly from ASI to Argentina as was mulled over in 1982? Don't think so, might need a few fuel stops!

Could an '82 vintage Herc have done this without refuelling?

PS A mulled over op isn't actually an op.

Forgive my emoji naivety; do the sunglasses indicate sarcasm or are you suggesting that the CAA is funding A400 flights instead of using commercial assets? Or, again, simulators?

One would almost think there was a defence review ongoing, what with all the leaking to encourage public/political outrage!

The A400 might 'look' good (Not in my opinion compared to the C130 and C17) but in reality it's an Airbus in a military disguise.

Well the Argentine Coasties lost theirs under barrage of Naval gunfire ....

US Army had one example of a Skyvan ( confiscated from a drug smuggler) in the 80s, and didn’t decade or two earlier approach Shorts to look into the Skyvan for SEA?

cheers

MV-22 for JSFAW. Simiilar/ longer range, than a CH47? Big enough for the majority of SF taking, faster than a CH47, para capable, able to get into confined areas, smaller and more agile than a herc- less observable, fast rope capable, USL- only thing I guess the herc- beats it on is range?

Might be able to afford one or two?

We should all know by now, it has little to do with capability, it has little to do with role, it has little to do with service requirement. It has everything to do with politics. MOD have been told they have to save £XXX,000,000 so that someone's company, in no way related to a minister, can be paid a fortune for PPE. COVID has to be paid for so the low hanging fruit is an easy target before the more difficult financial decisions have to be made.