The Chief of Defence Force, Air Marshal Tony Davies, has joined Defence Minister Judith Collins in welcoming the first of the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s (RNZAF) new C-130J Hercules fleet at a ceremony at RNZAF Base Auckland this morning. Over the next few months the five new aircraft will replace the existing C-130H fleet, which has been in service with the RNZAF for nearly 60 years. The RNZAF’s C-130H fleet, which will retire early next year, has delivered essential military air effects for New Zealand at home and around the world. It has operated in almost every continent and operational theatre, and flown nearly 155,000 accident-free hours – an exceptional record.
“We have taken a huge step forward in our tactical air transport capability. The additional capabilities the new C-130J fleet brings will open up expanded roles for the aircraft to meet the needs of New Zealand and our partners. For this aircraft, that starts today, with its first task being to introduce the new Hercules to the air bases around the country by moving freight and providing familiarisation for our Air Movements staff. Soon, we will switch focus to Antarctic operations, repeating the pattern of the first C-130 ice flights in 1965, only a few months after their arrival in New Zealand,” Air Marshal Davies said.
The current C-130H fleet dates back as far as 1965. In June 2019, New Zealand’s Minister of Defence Ron Mark identified the C-130J-30 as the preferred replacement for the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s five remaining C-130Hs that were planned to be in service until 2023. In November 2019, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the potential sale of five C-130Js, 24 engines and related equipment for an estimated cost of US$1.4 billion (~$1.65 billion in 2023). The sale was confirmed in June 2020, with the planes expected to be delivered between 2024 and 2025. The first aircraft was delivered on August 8, 2024 at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Marietta, Georgia.
The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. Externally similar to the classic Hercules in general appearance, the J-model features considerably updated technology. These differences include new Rolls-Royce AE 2100 D3 turboprop engines, Dowty R391 six-bladed composite scimitar propellers that have blade tips swept by 35 degrees, digital avionics and reduced crew requirements. These changes have improved performance over its C-130E/H predecessors, such as 40% greater range, 21% higher maximum speed, and 41% shorter takeoff distance. The C-130J is the newest version of the C-130 Hercules, and the only model currently in production. More than 500 C-130J aircraft have been delivered to 26 operators in 22 countries.
