LOCKHEED MARTIN flew the C-130J Hercules 2 for the first time on 5 April. This follows delays, which have pushed back certification of the transport from December to April-May 1997.
The company is negotiating revised delivery schedules with its initial customers, the Royal Air Force, US Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force.
The first aircraft, a stretched C-130J-30 for the RAF, was grounded after its 2h 11min first flight, for the delayed installation of composite flaps. The next Hercules 2 flight, due on 30 April, will be the first flight of a USAF C-130J.
Late delivery of avionics hardware, which in turn held up software-integration work, is blamed for the delays. "We are late according to the original schedule [for the RAF], which called for delivery of the first aircraft in November and the second in February 1997," admits Gary Riley, head of the C-130J certification effort. The first two of 25 RAF C-130Js on order will be used for in-country testing.
Delivery of the first two USAF C-130Js has also been also delayed, but Riley says that the first of 12 aircraft for Australia - the sixth C-130J to be built - should be delivered close to the original contract date. "By the sixth aircraft, we should be fully recovered," he says. All three customers have been "understanding", Riley adds.
Lockheed Martin, meanwhile, says that talks with Italy and Saudi Arabia on the C-130J are at an advanced stage. Italy has a requirement for 16 aircraft, while Saudi Arabia plans to replace its older C-130s and acquire additional aircraft for tanker and other roles.
Source: Flight International
