21.11.2010, 03:53
Zitat:Turkey to buy Saudi C-130 cargo planes
Turkish Air Force is preparing to purchase C-130 Hercules transport aircraft from Saudi Arabia.
As a result of close cooperation between the Turkish Air Force Command (HvKK) and Turkey’s Undersecreteriat for Defense Industries (SSM), a total of six C-130E extended-range Hercules cargo transport aircraft are to be purchased from the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) stock that were put on sale on a best-offer basis. Turkey has proposed the most attractive bid by agreeing to pay about $4.4 million per plane on a deal that’s valued $26.3 million. Aircraft manufacturing powerhouse TAI, or Turkish Aerospace Industries A.S., has been commisioned to receive and service the planes to suit Turkish Air Force (TurAF) needs.
SSM and HvKK are hoping to finalize the deal with Saudi Arabia and bring the planes to Turkey by the end of November.
With the addition of six C-130E planes, TurAF will increase its extended range long haul fleet to a total of nineteen aircraft. Other planes of the same category include six C-130Bs and seven C-130Es. This purchase will greatly help Turkey offset some of the negative impacts the country is experiencing from the long delayed Airbus A400M project, which Turkey is a partner to with ten new planes on order.
C-130 Hercules is deemed to be one of the most successful transport aircraft in the history of military aviation and used by more than fifty NATO and allied air forces around the world. Total flight hours for the aircraft exceed 22 million. The very first Lockeed Martin-built C-130 of the TurAF was brought to Turkey in September 16th, 1964 and beared the tail number 63-13186.
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