Tri-Service

MoD Signs Hercules Extension Deal Securing 1,200 UK Jobs

The Ministry of Defence has penned an extension deal to continue the C-130's service in the Royal Air Force, safeguarding 1,200 jobs in the process.

The £369m deal, awarded to Cambridge-based Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, will keep the planes in the air until 2030.

As well as securing 1,200 jobs, around 1,100 of which are based in Cambridge, savings of £64 million for the taxpayer have been achieved during negotiations with Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group for the six year support contract.

Affectionately known as the 'workhorse' of the RAF, the J-model of the C-130 Hercules has been based at RAF Brize Norton since it first entered service in 2000, although the original version of the Hercules dates back to 1966.

Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:

"This contract is further evidence of what the growing Defence budget with £178 billion investment in equipment means for the UK."

He continued to say "It will secure around 1,200 skilled jobs and ensure our essential RAF transport aircraft are prepared for operations for years to come."

C-130 Hercules aircraft during Joint Operations Access Exercise (JOAX)

Number crunch:

As a troop carrier, the Hercules can carry 92 fully armed men, while for airborne operations 64 paratroops can be dispatched in two simultaneous "sticks" through the fuselage side doors.

Alternatively, 40 paratroops can jump from the rear loading ramp. As an air ambulance the aircraft can accommodate 74 stretchers.

Freight loads that can be parachuted from the aircraft include: 16 x 1 ton containers or 4 x 8,000 pound platforms or 2 x 16,000 pound platforms or 1 x platform of 30,000 pounds plus. Amongst the many combinations of military loads that can be carried in an air landed operation are. 3 x Ferret scout cars plus 30 passengers or 2 x Land Rovers and 30 passengers or 2 x Gazelle helicopters.

The C-130 was flown throughout the recent JOAX exercises which saw thousands of British and American paratroopers jump out of the Hercules aircraft - click here for full highlights.