Collins receives C-130 prop system order after first successful upgrade
Under current modernisation efforts, Collins will upgrade the CAF’s C-130 fleet, including C-130B, C-130E, KC-130R and C-130H variants. (Photo: US DoD)
Collins Aerospace will upgrade the Chilean Air Force’s C-130 fleet with its NP2000 propeller system.
Collins Aerospace has successfully upgraded the first Chilean Air Force (CAF) C-130 with its NP2000 propeller system, the company announced on 25 October.
The installation marks the first international modernisation of the C-130 and the South American country is its first C-130 NP2000 international customer.
Under the modernisation effort, Collins will upgrade the CAF’s C-130 fleet, including C-130B, C-130E, KC-130R and C-130H variants.
The NP2000 propeller system is equipped with eight composite blades and a so-called Electronic Propeller Control System.
According to the manufacturer, this offers a number of benefits that include up to 20% thrust increase during take-off, approximately 20dB sound reduction in the cockpit and up to 50% reduction in maintenance hours.
Chile is recently upgrading the Pratt & Whitney F100 engines for its F-16 fleet under a contract with Raytheon.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![October crewed air review: Israel’s Apache deal bets on crewed aviation in an uncrewed age]()
October crewed air review: Israel’s Apache deal bets on crewed aviation in an uncrewed age
Israel’s $1 billion Apache helicopter order highlights the continued demand for crewed attack aviation, while growing integration with uncrewed systems could shape future modernisation and procurement decisions.
-
![Connecting the layers: how networks can secure the future of European air defence]()
Connecting the layers: how networks can secure the future of European air defence
The rise of drones has reshaped the threat landscape for all European militaries. For industry, future defensive strategies must carefully balance a mix of passive and active measures to address the evolving danger, based around a highly integrated and responsive network of sensors and effectors.
-
![October drone digest: France and Lithuania advance loitering munition procurements as global spending surges]()
October drone digest: France and Lithuania advance loitering munition procurements as global spending surges
Recent procurement developments in France and Lithuania highlight the growing demand for loitering munitions, with global annual spending forecast to increase nearly 50-fold between 2020 and 2029.
-
![Quantum Systems details 480km/h Ukrainian interceptor as production scales up]()
Quantum Systems details 480km/h Ukrainian interceptor as production scales up
Quantum Systems’s Ukraine-made interceptor SPYS is thought to cost approximately 10 times less than Russia's jet-powered uncrewed aerial systems and is being produced at scale.
