UK Royal Navy Wildcat fires Sea Venom anti-ship missile
The Wildcat is fitted with .50cal gun and carries Stingray torpedoes and Marlet lightweight missiles. Sea Venom substantially boosts the platform’s punch.
Egypt orders two C-130J Super Hercules
The Super Hercules begins replacing some of Egypt’s legacy Hercules aircraft. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)
The two aircraft may well be the first instalment of up to a dozen replacements for Egypt’s legacy Hercules fleet.
Egypt has ordered two new C-130J-30 Super Hercules transport aircraft from Lockheed Martin.
The procurement was announced at the Egypt International Air Show on 5 September. It will be delivered via the US State Department’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) mechanism and comes two years after the US Senate approved the sale of “up to a dozen” Super Hercules to the Egyptian government.
Had Egypt pressed ahead and bought the full dozen aircraft at one time, the move would have come with a US$2.2 billion price tag.
It is expected that Egypt will exercise its options to buy anything up to the remaining 10 aircraft over time.
The timeline for those procurements may be more natural than forced. The Egyptian Air Force is a long-term customer for Hercules aircraft, and has one of the largest C-130H fleets in the world, consisting of 22 C-130H and three C-130H-30S aircraft, dating from between 1976 and 1990.
Some of the older airframes are, therefore, coming to the end of their safe active lifespan and are ready for replacement by the latest variant in the Hercules fleet. The Super Hercules marks a significant leap forward in power and sophistication over the C-130 Hercules aircraft that make up the majority of Egypt’s current fleet. With Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprop engines, they have more speed and range than the machines they are replacing, and modern navigation and avionics with head-up displays make them very different propositions to fly.
While no announcement beyond the sale of the first two Super Hercules has yet been made, it seems likely that the full extent of the FMS will be honoured, with Egypt updating its fleet with the full dozen Super Hercules over time.
The purchase makes Egypt the 23rd country to include the Super Hercules in its fleet.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Air Warfare
-
![UK Royal Navy Wildcat fires Sea Venom anti-ship missile]()
-
![Netherlands commits €400 million into drones for Ukraine defence]()
Netherlands commits €400 million into drones for Ukraine defence
The Netherlands has already spent approximately €4 billion so far in military support to Ukraine.
-
![CF-18 Hornet Extension Project achieves initial operational capability]()
CF-18 Hornet Extension Project achieves initial operational capability
The project extension continues to address the capability gap in the Canadian Armed Forces to meet its fighter aircraft commitments for both NORAD and NATO.
-
![Thailand-bound AH-6i helicopter completes first flight]()
Thailand-bound AH-6i helicopter completes first flight
A total of eight aircraft will replace the Royal Thai Army’s ageing AH-IF Cobra fleet as part of a contract deal worth US$103.8 million.
-
![Czech Republic acquires two Embraer C-390 Millennium aircraft]()
Czech Republic acquires two Embraer C-390 Millennium aircraft
The contract has been predicted to be signed in the coming weeks, with the first aircraft slated for delivery to the Czech Republic by 2025.
-
![Saab strengthens AEW&C bid with Korea Aerospace Industries agreement]()
Saab strengthens AEW&C bid with Korea Aerospace Industries agreement
Saab’s proposal for South Korea is its GlobalEye aircraft. This MoU between the two companies is the latest update in Saab’s bid for South Korea’s competition for a new airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft.
