/reeve.gif)
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Air Force Acquires 2 Surplus C-130 Planes from U.S.
Chile has acquired two C-130 Hercules from U.S. Navy stockpiles — the most significant addition of transport aircraft since the 2010 purchase of KC-135 planes.
The Hercules will be delivered this year and next, according to El Mercurio.
The newspaper reported the C-130s are part of the H series, the same as two others already in FACh's fleet.
The purchase is confirmed in the database of Excess Defense Articles of the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which shows Chile paid $7 million for each plane.
The agency's database also shows the transfers were authorized in 2012 and 2013, indicating that Chile didn't accept them until recently.
The planes are listed as C-130R, a Marine Corps air-refueling version with hose and drogue refueling pods.
It's possible that the refueling capabilities have been removed, which is why the newspaper says the Hercules are H-series rather than the R version.
On a related note, the DSCA database also lists a transfer last year of two F110-129 jet engines — which are used for the F-16 fighter — at a cost of $3.89 million.
This is a subscription only section
Want to read more? It's only €10/year.
No account yet? Just Create an account first and head to the shop