Air Transportation: Mini-Hercules Thrive

Archives

April 25, 2009: The Czech Republic is buying four C-295 air transports from European firm EADS. These 23 ton aircraft are basically half size C-130s, with a payload of nine tons and powered by two turboprop engines. Costing about $30 million each, the C-295 entered service a decade ago and over 60 have been delivered so far. Such aircraft are more suitable for a European country than the larger C-130 "Hercules.".

Even the U.S. Army considered buying the C-295 to replace its 44 two engine C-23s (a freight version of the British Shorts 330 passenger airliner). The 12 ton C-23 can carry up to 3.5 tons of cargo, or up to 30 troops. In Iraq, the army C-23s have proved invaluable in getting priority army cargos where they are needed, often to places the C-130 could not reach. With a war going on, the army has lots of recent evidence of how difficult it is for army commanders to get a C-130 for some urgent mission.

Several aircraft competed for this contract, including the CN-235, C-295 and C-27J, along with the current the navy C-2. What all these aircraft had in common was greater capacity (about half the C-130s 20 ton load), and the ability to fly higher than the C-23s 20,000 foot maximum altitude (which prevents it from being used in Afghanistan). The C-27J won, but it was a close competition, and now Department of Defense budget cuts may eliminate most of the C-27J order..

The Czechs are using the C-295 to replace four Russian made An-26s (which carry less than a C-295, and are more difficult to maintain.)

 

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contribute. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   contribute   Close