Publication: ASD News
Issued:
Date: 2009-11-23
Reporter:
|
LM
Super Hercules Deliveries Strengthen USAF and USMC Fleets |
(Marietta, Ga., November 20, 2009) -- Demonstrating the increase in
the C-130J build and delivery rate, Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] simultaneously
delivered two C-130Js on Nov. 19 to two different customers – a C-130J to the
U.S. Air Forces in Europe and a KC-130J to the U.S. Marine Corps.
The USAFE C-130J was accepted by Brig. Gen. Mark C. "Marshal" Dillon, commander
of the 86th Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, and commander, Kaiserslautern
Military Community, Germany. The KC-130J Tanker was accepted by a Marine Corps
flight crew and will be based at VMGR-152, Marine Corps Air Station Futenma,
Okinawa, Japan.
"Adding another C-130J is not a linear addition; it's geometric in terms of the
capability of the airplane," Dillon said. "One plus one doesn't always equal
two, sometimes it equals three or four because of the great capability of the
C-130J. After spending the last two weeks at Little Rock Air Force Base and
seeing the tremendous capability of the C-130J, it's just going to add
capability to Ramstein, Europe and that part of the world – which our country
needs and our European partners need."
"Delivery of two aircraft to two customers in one day is a clear indication of
the accelerating pace of the C-130J program," said Ross Reynolds, Lockheed
Martin vice-president, C-130 programs. "he worldwide demand for this proven
airlifter continues to grow and we are steadily increasing production to meet
the demand."
The Ramstein delivery represents the eighth C-130J for the base, which will
receive 10 C-130Js by the end of 2009. Four more will be delivered in 2010. The
KC-130J is the 36th of 46 aircraft on order to be delivered to the USMC.
Source :
Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE: LMT)
- click here for more information
With acknowledgements to ASD News.
I don't have shares in Lockheed Martin and
it is not even a customer of mine, at least not directly and not for any
aircraft components.
But if anyone thinks that the SAAF should not replace its nine C-130BZ Hercules
and seven C-160 Transalls with sixteen C-130Js (or as many as we can afford or
as many as we actually need*), then they should tell us why not.
*1 That the SANDF and SAAF need some kind of air transport
is not really in question, it's just how many and exactly when.
The SAAF currently has about 11 C-130BZs plus 3 C-130Es of which about 11
aircraft can fly and 2 or 3 are certified to fly.
But it's not as if the others cannot be certified to fly, it's just that the
money required to do so was diverted to the A400M programme plus to January
Masilela's buddies who are charging the DoD the proverbial arm and a leg for
private outsourced airlift to the DoD. This amounts to many hundreds of millions
of Rands per year.
This and some other funny business is probably the reason why January Masilela
is no longer Secretary for Defence (after accounting officer for the DoD and
ultimately responsible for acquisition and outsourcing) and is now (hopefully)
resting in peace.
In any case, the SAAF's current C-130BZs had quite a few billions of Rands spent
on then in the late 1990s and early 2000s and are good until 2015.
That's another 5 to 6 years.
I am 100% convinced that after a 6 to 12 month proper project study, that the
DoD could place an order for 9 to 16 C-130Js *3 for delivery at a rate of 2 to 4
per year starting 2014.
I'm also sure that there will be a line of willing buyers *2 for the SAAF's 9
working plus 3 non-working C-130s plus the mountains of spares that the SAAF has
acquired over the last 46 years. This should go some way in contributing to the
cost of the C-130Js.
Another substantial cost saving is that the SAAF would be acquiring a
replacement aircraft of the same basic type (just a newer model) from the same
original equipment manufacturer and not a completely new aircraft from a
different manufacturer.
The problem is that US companies are not allowed to bribe foreign officials.
*2 All except Thunder City and Mike Beachy Head.
*3 The unit cost of the C-130J is about US$62 million (2008
US dollars)
The unit cost for the A400M is about US$80 million (2009 US dollars)
The bottom line is that a proper holistic, all encompassing needs analysis and
project study needs to be undertaken by independent *4 professionals.
*4 That is to say independent of the cabinet and other self
seekers.
the project study needs to be teamed by the DoD Acquisition and Projects
Department (DAPD), SAAF, Joint Ops and Armscor.
And not include Hell Mutt Rumour Hitman nor Fana Hlongwane nor Major-General
Jackie Sedibe nor Dr Piet Potgieter nor Ivor Ichikowitz, nor Sipho Thomo nor
Helmoed Romer Heitman nor Thabo Mbeki nor Mosioua Lekota, inter alia.