C130 Hercules aanpassingen

Gestart door Harald, 19/04/2016 | 15:59 uur

Harald

Not SOFt on C-130J

Lockheed Martin is positioning its C-130J-SOF export variant as the go-to aircraft for special operation forces helicopter and fixed-wing refuelling needs.

Pushing hard on the international market, the tanker is poised for sales opportunities as the Airbus Defence and Space A400M loses further ground as it deals with gear box, crack issues and engine problems.

Furthermore, the A400M programme has struggled to meet objectives on time, with several issues being identified including the inability to launch paratroopers through both rear doors and refuelling helicopters.

However, as of April of this year France had received 11 A400M aircraft; Germany nine; Malaysia four; Spain one; Turkey three; and the UK totalling 14.

With this uncertainty in mind, Lockheed Martin officials at the Dubai Airshow commented that the C-130 and the J Model is the only platform able to refuel fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft.

'Back in Paris [Airshow 2017], we launched the C-130J special operations forces aircraft. Now, the important thing to note about this aircraft is frankly we have taken already proven capabilities which were spread across many different international customers,' a spokesperson commented.

'This [aircraft] is more geared towards the international market... The primary elements of this aircraft are its air refuelling, so it is a tanker, it can refuel fixed-wing as well as helicopters.'

Helicopter operators prefer to refuel at 110-115kt which is met by the platform, the spokesperson added.

The C-130J-SOF armament options include wing mounted Hellfire missiles and an internal 30mm GAU-23 Bushmaster gun using an Orbital ATK roll-on/roll-off pallet allowing installation in less than four hours.

Regarding the Orbital ATK gun, the spokesperson confirmed that it would be fired out of the left-hand side of the aircraft.

'We have put an EO/IR sensor on the nose and we could also put Hellfire missiles off of the hardpoints on the outer wing... We are quite convinced by the armed capabilities of the C-130J SOF.'

'[In relation to the] forward air refuelling point -  we've added some technology to the aircraft so when it lands it can refuel anything on the ground that uses jet fuel. We put single port refuelling receptacles on the outer air refuelling pod – so you can attach hoses and refuel directly from the pods on the outer wing,' said the spokesperson.

The tanker has been qualified to refuel a number of military rotorcraft including the Sikorsky CH-53 and UH-60 Black Hawk and the Boeing CH-47 Chinook. When asked about future platforms and existing platforms not yet qualified the spokesperson confirmed, 'as long as it has a pod we can refuel it.'

https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/special-operations/dubai-airshow-2017-not-soft-c-130j/

Harald

Citaat van: Harald op 21/06/2017 | 09:30 uur
Paris Air Show 2017: LM launches production SOF variant of C-130J for export

....

Depending on the configuration, the cost per aircraft would run anywhere from the mid-$70 million to mid-$80 million mark. A C-130J-SOF equipped for aerial refueling would sell for upward of that, Frese said.
....

The aircraft can be configured for a variety of missions, including ISR, inserting and extracting special operations personnel, airdrop resupply, and armed overwatch.

Frese was hesitant to compare the C-130J-SOF with U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command's AC-130 and MC-130, citing customer sensitivities. But compared to a baseline C-130J, the special operations version has more powerful generators and comes equipped with several sensors and communications systems — like an electro-optical/infrared sensor, satellite communications, and wideband data link — which would not normally come already installed. The aircraft is also constructed with additional armoring and provisions for aerial refueling, he said.

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/lockheed-reveals-customizable-c-130j-for-international-special-operators

Harald

Paris Air Show 2017: LM launches production SOF variant of C-130J for export

Lockheed Martin officials launched the C-130J-SOF at the Paris Air Show on 20 June, the first ever special operations forces (SOF)-configured production variant of the Super Hercules transport aircraft to be offered for export.

The baseline C-130J-SOF comes in an ISR configuration that features an electro-optic/infrared imaging system in a turret under the nose, upgraded 60/90 KVA generators and 400 amp regulated transformer rectifier units that double the original electrical capacity of the C-130J, an armour protection system and lower fuselage protection for improved survivability under hostile fire, added crew stations for mission systems, automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast (ADS-B) out positioning technology, microvanes to increase fuel efficiency, and external fuel tanks for increased range and mission loiter time.

http://www.janes.com/article/71598/paris-air-show-2017-lm-launches-production-sof-variant-of-c-130j-for-export



The new multi-mission aircraft is designed to meet the unique demands of special operations forces (SOF) around the world, said Tony Frese, company vice president of business development for air mobility and maritime missions.

The C-130J-SOF will provide international partners the capability to do crucial SOF missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR); airdrop resupply; personnel recovery; humanitarian relief; infiltration; exfiltration; and resupply of SOF personnel, said Frese. The new variant can also be configured for armed overwatch by adding special mission equipment options such as a 30-mm gun and Hellfire missiles, helicopter/fighter/vertical lift aerial refueling, and Forward Area Refueling Point operations.

http://aviationweek.com/paris-air-show-2017/lockheed-reveals-c-130j-sof-international-partners

Harald

Tamarack Aerospace Group pitches winglets for C-130

Tamarack Aerospace Group is offering to work with Lockheed Martin to equip the US Air Force's (USAF's) fleet of C-130 Hercules transport aircraft with its ATLAS active winglets which, the company claims, reduce fuel consumption at the same time as extending the service life of the wing.

The Idaho-based based company is looking to present its technology to Lockheed Martin in the hope of launching a collaborative effort to help solve the fuel reduction mandates required by the USAF, IHS Jane's was told.

"We have confidence in our models that we can give the C-130 a 10% improvement in fuel savings. Other benefits include an extension of the wing life, better hot and high performance, a potential to increase gross weight and maximum zero fuel weights, slower stall speeds, and shorter landing and take-off requirements," company spokesperson Bill Mitchell said on 26 September.

Tamarack Aerospace Group's interest in a potential collaboration with Lockheed Martin stems from the news earlier in the year that the USAF had commenced winglet trials with its MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft. Engineers from the 413th Flight Test Squadron modified an MC-130J with winglets in April as part of a trial to ascertain possible fuel efficiencies Martin in accordance with contracted research and design (CRAD) funding granted by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in September 2014. Eight test sorties of the winglet-equipped MC-130J were flown out of at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, though the findings have not been disclosed.

According to Mitchell, the winglets developed by Tamarack Aerospace Group differ from those developed elsewhere to reduce wing loading also, and thereby increase the wing's service life. "We have patented a load alleviation device that 'aerodynamically turns off the winglets' during those rare moments when 'g' forces are high. The system is constantly monitoring and predicting gusts and/or manoeuvres, and 'positions' the Tamarack Active Camber Surface (TACS) as necessary to eliminate the additional loads that a static winglet would normally affect.

http://www.janes.com/article/64074/tamarack-aerospace-group-pitches-winglets-for-c-130

Harald

8 bladige propellers NP2000 (onderzoek uit 2010, welke wel toegepast is bij de E-2C/D Hawkeye, de huidige C-130J heeft een 6 bladige propellor)

"The NP2000 propeller system provides shorter take-off roll, improved climb, fuel savings with improved cruise performance, quieter operations, and lower operating and support costs for C-130 users",

Double the blades means more power, efficiency
http://www.afmc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123229128

Engineers testing eight-blade prop for C-130
http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/115079/engineers-testing-eight-blade-prop-for-c-130.aspx





Testresulaten :
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/aero/documents/global-sustainment/product-support/2011HOC-Presentations/Wed_0900-NP2000.pdf

Harald

USAF picks up C-130 winglet trials after Lockheed Martin abandoned them

The US Air Force (USAF) is trialling the use of winglets on its MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft, three years after Lockheed Martin abandoned the concept for the baseline transport variant.

Engineers from the 413th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida have modified an MC-130J with winglets and performed eight test flights to investigate their effect on fuel efficiency, it was announced on 19 April.

The USAF has not released findings from the experiment.

The USAF trial comes three years after Lockheed Martin abandoned its own efforts to integrate winglets onto the baseline C-130J, saying they had failed to deliver the substantial fuel savings it had hoped for.

Company officials said in 2013 that the technology didn't fit the geometry of the C-130's straight wing. "We have a design, but we have not convinced ourselves through wind tunnel testing that it provides enough economies to warrant the expense of modifying the aircraft," said Jack Crisler, Lockheed Martin's then vice-president for the C-130J programme.

Lockheed Martin had earlier anticipated winglets would cut fuel consumption by between 5% and 7%.

The company also examined the use of fuselage-mounted guide vanes and strakes to cut drag and save fuel. Tests of these on both a legacy C-130H and the C-130J had more positive results, according to Lockheed Martin.

Despite abandoning winglets after the unsuccessful trials, Lockheed Martin said at the time it would revisit the concept should the technology advance to become viable for the C-130.

http://www.janes.com/article/59651/usaf-picks-up-c-130-winglet-trials-after-lockheed-martin-abandoned-them

Harald

#2
Extra info, over de wijzigingen

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/aero/documents/global-sustainment/product-support/2012HOC-Presentations/Wednesday/Wed%201600%20Fuel%20Efficiency%20Initiatives-Kyle%20Smith.pdf

Interessante wijzigingen, welke brandstof besparing en vergroting van vliegduur en range in combinatie van belading kan betekenen.

Zijn dit de voorlopers van de aanpassingen naar de nieuwe C-130NG




Harald

Lockheed flight tests C-130 airframe mods

Lockheed Martin has begun flight testing several aerodynamic modifications – including winglets – for the C-130 Hercules in a bid to increase the efficiency of the aircraft and potentially save millions of dollars in annual fuel bills.

The modifications include 5ft winglets and 3D-printed 'microvanes', which are small fibre-glass strips

https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/mil-log/lockheed-flight-tests-c-130-airframe-mods/