RAF Hercules fleet for sale
The Royal Air Force's (RAF) fleet of fourteen Lockheed Hercules transporters will be made available for sale through the Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) from 2023.
The decision to withdraw the Hercules from active service was already announced in the 2021 Defence Command Paper. Scramble Magazine reported on this Defence Review in March 2021.
The withdrawal of the fourteen aircraft, thirteen Hercules C4 models and one Hercules C5, will be a loss to the service's airlift capability and special force's tasks. On 17 October 2022, it was reported by DESA that the transporters will be made available for acquisition as they come out of service between 2023 and 2025.
Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group at Cambridge was named as the principal retail partner for the sale of the aircraft, and would provide entry into service, sustainment and capability enhancements where required.
Photo by Christopher Kern (via Planespotters.net)