sudhir007
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1962 war hero Hercules to make a comeback
Almost 50 years after an earlier version of the military transport aircraft provided a crucial air bridge to transport troops and equipment to the Chinese frontier during the Sino-Indian war, the hardy Hercules is making a comeback to India. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to get the first of its six C 130 J Super Hercules on order from the US in February 2011, in time for the Aero India air show and two months ahead of the scheduled delivery.
While the new Special Operations Hercules that the IAF is getting is several generations ahead of its illustrious predecessor that airlifted several thousand troops that were desperately needed along the entire Chinese border from Ladakh down to the North-East, the stubby-nosed aircraft holds a special place in the military history of the nation.
The year was 1962 and the Chinese invasion was on in full swing when the government realised that it was woefully short of transport aircraft that could carry troops and military equipment to difficult airstrips along the Chinese border. The ties with the US were on a historic high and a request for help by PM Jawaharlal Nehru to President John Kennedy yielded a 12 aircraft detachment of the Hercules for operations in Ladakh and the North-East.
The mainstay of the IAF transport fleet was the Russian AN 12 four-engined aircraft, a sturdier, faster aircraft than the Hercules. But the IAF was finding it difficult to transport heavy loads and personnel to the short Leh airfield located at an altitude of 10,500 feet. The unpressurised AN 12 was also unsuitable to fly in troops to the high- altitude airbase.
Over a nine-month period, the 12 aircraft Hercules detachment brought in thousands of troops to the Chinese frontier, flying regular missions to Ladakh as well as airstrips in the North-East on the Arunachal Pradesh border. In one mission, an aircraft flew out 104 Tibetan orphans whose parents had been killed during the border clash from Leh to South India.
While the lessons learnt during the war helped India in planning out its aircraft acquisition over the next few years, the Hercules never returned as ties with the US steadily deteriorated and India became dependant on Russian imports. Things changed after the new-found bonhomie between the nations that paved the way for a $ 1 billion contract that was inked in 2008 for six special operations version of the new C 130 J Super Hercules.
The new aircraft is very different from its predecessor. It is equipped with a Forward Looking Infra Red, Heads Up Display and navigational aids, that enables operations in low visibility conditions, through fog, clouds and dust storms. The aircraft on order are also designed to land and take off from an airstrip in pitch dark without using external lights.
The initial order is for six aircraft but Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer, is in talks with the IAF for six more. We have been in discussion (with the government) and hope to see a follow on order for another six aircraft, said Orville Prins, Senior Vice President, Business Development, India for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
Almost 50 years after an earlier version of the military transport aircraft provided a crucial air bridge to transport troops and equipment to the Chinese frontier during the Sino-Indian war, the hardy Hercules is making a comeback to India. The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to get the first of its six C 130 J Super Hercules on order from the US in February 2011, in time for the Aero India air show and two months ahead of the scheduled delivery.
While the new Special Operations Hercules that the IAF is getting is several generations ahead of its illustrious predecessor that airlifted several thousand troops that were desperately needed along the entire Chinese border from Ladakh down to the North-East, the stubby-nosed aircraft holds a special place in the military history of the nation.
The year was 1962 and the Chinese invasion was on in full swing when the government realised that it was woefully short of transport aircraft that could carry troops and military equipment to difficult airstrips along the Chinese border. The ties with the US were on a historic high and a request for help by PM Jawaharlal Nehru to President John Kennedy yielded a 12 aircraft detachment of the Hercules for operations in Ladakh and the North-East.
The mainstay of the IAF transport fleet was the Russian AN 12 four-engined aircraft, a sturdier, faster aircraft than the Hercules. But the IAF was finding it difficult to transport heavy loads and personnel to the short Leh airfield located at an altitude of 10,500 feet. The unpressurised AN 12 was also unsuitable to fly in troops to the high- altitude airbase.
Over a nine-month period, the 12 aircraft Hercules detachment brought in thousands of troops to the Chinese frontier, flying regular missions to Ladakh as well as airstrips in the North-East on the Arunachal Pradesh border. In one mission, an aircraft flew out 104 Tibetan orphans whose parents had been killed during the border clash from Leh to South India.
While the lessons learnt during the war helped India in planning out its aircraft acquisition over the next few years, the Hercules never returned as ties with the US steadily deteriorated and India became dependant on Russian imports. Things changed after the new-found bonhomie between the nations that paved the way for a $ 1 billion contract that was inked in 2008 for six special operations version of the new C 130 J Super Hercules.
The new aircraft is very different from its predecessor. It is equipped with a Forward Looking Infra Red, Heads Up Display and navigational aids, that enables operations in low visibility conditions, through fog, clouds and dust storms. The aircraft on order are also designed to land and take off from an airstrip in pitch dark without using external lights.
The initial order is for six aircraft but Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer, is in talks with the IAF for six more. We have been in discussion (with the government) and hope to see a follow on order for another six aircraft, said Orville Prins, Senior Vice President, Business Development, India for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
