THE OFFICIAL date for the RAF's C-130J tactical transport aircraft to be retired from service looks to be drawing closer with the arrival of one of the aircraft in the fleet into Cambridge Airport recently, following a transit flight from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.In March 2021, it was announced during the publication of the Defence Command Paper that the UK's 14-strong C-130J fleet was to be removed from service by 2023, the type having earlier escaped the axe in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review. Able to operate from unprepared landing strips, the aircraft complements the wider RAF mobility capability and fleets of A400M, C-17 and Voyager Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) platforms.The arrival of the C-130J, serial ZH875, back in the UK on January 12, 2021, was part of a "fleet management decision", a UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) spokesperson explained to Key. Aero, adding that the move was unconnected to any potential sales opportunities.
展开▼
