Former Royal Air Force chiefs call scrapping of Hercules 'perverse' in joint letter

As the RAF mounted a farewell flypast for the C-130J Hercules aircraft, former RAF chiefs and other top commanders have condemned the decision to replace the transport aircraft with the larger Airbus A400M as "perverse", with its retirement resulting in a capacity gap – especially for Special Forces. 

Writing a joint letter in The Times, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Johns, Sir Gerald Howarth and Air Commodore (Ret'd) Graham Pitchfork, along with other senior military figures, said of the "many cuts to our Armed Forces in recent years, one of the most perverse is the disposal of the RAF's remaining 14 C-130 transport aircraft".

Their letter added: "At a time of great international tension, the decision to remove a proven and effective workhorse is extraordinary."

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They cited the example of other countries, like France and Germany, who also own the Airbus A400M, but are conversely trying to buy more C-130s, not "ditching" them.

Their concerns have been echoed by both Air Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the new Chief of the Air Staff and the chair of the Defence Select Committee, Tobias Ellwood.

Mr Ellwood said: "I hear you (the Government) say you can't comment on Special Forces, the trouble is that you are dealing with procurement and removing an asset which will affect Special Forces (SF).

"We know it'll affect Special Forces because we've been told so.

An earlier report by Sky News found the A400M has yet to be cleared to perform all the "niche functions" of the C-130J in special forces missions, including dropping a boat out of the back of a plane for hostage rescue missions at sea.

The Atlas can carry 116 soldiers, 24 more than the C-130J Hercules and also has an increased payload of 37,000kg, compared to the C-130's capacity of 19,050kg.

Fifteen nations are interested in buying RAF Hercules aircraft – 11 of which are Nato members.

As well as the Atlas A400m, other RAF aircraft will help replace the Hercules and its capabilities.