Seeking to finalize the sale of the last three C-130J Super Hercules formerly operated by the Royal Air Force, the United Kingdom would be in advanced negotiations with a potential customer which, although it has not yet been disclosed to the public in order to maintain the confidentiality of the transaction, a report by Gareth Jennings states is interested in acquiring the aircraft that were retired in 2023. Specifically, the fleet in question would consist of two aircraft belonging to the C-130J (C5) variant, while the remaining one would be a C-130J (C4) unit.
It is worth recalling at this point that the United Kingdom once operated a total of 23 C-130J transport aircraft, most of which have been sold to international partners of London over the past few years. The most recent example of such acquisitions can be found in the Turkish Air Force, which, as part of its efforts to modernize its capabilities, added 12 aircraft from that batch, confirming the decision in October last year. Since their retirement, the Super Hercules have been stored and maintained by Marshall Group while awaiting a new operator.
Expanding on the details, it is useful to note that Ankara confirmed the purchase of these aircraft in order to add new airframes that would ease the burden on its already heavily tasked transport fleet—a deal that required a lengthy negotiation process. Before bringing that transaction to fruition, the country relied on the Airbus-built A400 aircraft to carry out these missions, while also keeping other members of the C-130 family in service—namely the B and E variants.
A similar precedent can be found in the Bangladesh Air Force, which received the last of the C-130J aircraft acquired from the United Kingdom in June 2024 to bolster its own airlift capabilities. Specifically, Dhaka added a total of five units, which can be broken down into two aircraft confirmed under contract in 2018 and another three added in 2019. At the time, Bangladeshi authorities stated that they would seek to integrate them quickly into the peacekeeping operations in which the country participates, while also noting that they would play a vital role in humanitarian missions.
A third potential customer was the Hellenic Air Force, whose acquisition, however, never materialized, even though Greek and British officials met on several occasions to discuss the terms of the operation—something that was also done with representatives of the aforementioned Marshall Aerospace. In this case, it involved a country already familiar with the C-130 family, as it operated a fleet of around 15 aircraft in the B and H variants.
Finally, it should be mentioned that the aircraft offered for sale by the United Kingdom were not retired due to their age; on the contrary, they would be airframes in good condition with several years of remaining service life, even featuring critical components that were replaced by the Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) in order to make them more attractive to potential buyers. The rationale behind this move instead lies in the arrival of the new A400 Atlas aircraft into Royal Air Force service, in numbers that authorities deemed sufficient to carry out on their own the tasks previously performed by the C-130.
Images used for illustrative purposes.
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