Marshall Aerospace and the Royal Netherlands Air Force are exhibiting a special debutant at the show, having brought a tactical transport along barely two weeks after performing its first flight for the service.

On static display at the Royal International Air Tattoo, G-988 is the first of two ex-US Navy Lockheed Martin C-130Hs being prepared for use by the Dutch armed forces. The transport first flew for the RNLAF from Cambridge airport in the UK earlier this month, having received a new glass cockpit and additional enhancements, such as cabin safety modifications. It was also displayed at the show with jammer pods mounted beneath its outer wing.

 Dutch C-130H RIAT 2009 - RIAT
© RIAT

Prior to this work, the aircraft had been last flown by the USN in 1991, before being retired and placed into long-term storage.

The arrival of G-988 at RIAT at the end of its third test flight comes as crew training activities have kicked off prior to its delivery to the Netherlands. The transport is due to depart Royal Air Force base Fairford on 20 July for its return to Cambridge.

G-988 will be followed by a second example, G-781, which Marshall says is on track to fly later this year.

The availability of the modernised and refurbished aircraft will double the RNLAF’s fleet of Hercules, by adding to its inventory of two stretched-fuselage C-130H-30s.

A specially-painted Dutch Lockheed F-16AM meanwhile took part in the flying display on 18 July (below), having cancelled its planned sortie the previous day due to a technical fault. J-015 was delivered to the nation’s air force in 1991.

 Dutch F-16 RIAT 2009]
© Craig Hoyle/Flight International

Source: FlightGlobal.com

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