MoD may be bypassing Tender process for procurement of replacement aircraft for C130H
in the budget leak today 1.3B for defense acquisition (not including money already put aside for Herc replacement)
KC390 & C130J listed as contenders in the article,
Mark Mitchell from National (prev Def Min) listed KC390, C130J and C2 as potentials.
Fancy new planes for the defence force - but will a $2.5b decision be put to tender?
If the C-130J Super Hercules is selected, a sole sourcing decision by NZDF to replace its five Hercules, makes perfect sense - this aircraft is so specialised, there is only one product worth buying. It's very capable, proven in combat and there is an option to install the Sabir system (see:
U.S. Government Provides New SABIR System to Enhance Philippine Air Force Capabilities | U.S. Embassy in the Philippines) or the Hercules Airborne Weapons Kit (
Upgraded Hellfire armed Hercules completes testing), especially given the *limited* P-8 procurement (as replacement for the six P-3K2s), and very different from the other two choices (which implies trade-offs, eg. ice crystal icing hazards).
To get to New Zealand in 2011, two RSAF C-130s flew 8,400km from Paya Lebar to Christchurch and stayed for quite a few ferry flights - demonstrating "inter-operability" with NZDF in the aftermath of the earthquake. Not sure about the nonsense favoring the KC390 in the article and so what if "
the KC-390 can technically fly from Christchurch to Antarctica and back again in a single day" (which relies on reader ignorance to stomach). IMHO in comparison to the Japanese C-2, the KC390 is not a mature product (or entered operational service), unless it is for procurement in 2025 and beyond. The first three KC390 production aircraft are currently on the final assembly line at Gaviao Peixoto, with the second due for delivery later in 2019, and the third, fourth, and fifth in 2020.
The Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Kawasaki C-2, and described as an outside potential in the article, is a long range, high speed Mach 0.8+ military transport aircraft that entered operational service in June 2016, with ongoing deliveries for Japan Air Self-Defense Force (with plans to acquire 40); and in November 2017 a C-2 deployed to Djibouti in Africa for the first time. The C-2 has a maximum payload of 37,600 kg (whilst taking off from a 2,300 m runway). Powered by a pair of General Electric CF6-80C2K turbofan engines, the C-2’s fuselage is larger than that of the Hercules or the stretch Super Hercules. Its vast internal cargo deck is designed to carry armoured vehicles and it is furnished with an automated loading and unloading system. Due to its ability to fly higher and faster than the C-130K Super Hercules (and even the jet powered C-17A Globemaster), the C-2 has the ability to fly international air-routes at normal cruising altitude (whereas the C-130H of the RSAF is often assigned to lower altitude by air-traffic control). And there are ongoing efforts by the Japanese to sell the C-2 to New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates.
Even for Singapore's ten C-130s, I would not question a future decision for sole sourcing of the C-130J, when the time is right (if that is the case). In our case, Singapore had to use of its Hercules (on top of its *limited* Fokker 50 MPAs) for search and locate for a missing aircraft like the search for AirAsia Flight 8501. In the search and locate operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, in the South China Sea and Malacca Straits, Singapore committed a total of 10 aircraft, which included C-130s, Chinooks, Fokker 50 MPAs, and a Super Puma.
