iscover
The RNZAF's Transport Fleet Comprises Five Early Build C-130H Hercules And Nine Andovers. New Zealand Has Placed An Option On Eight New Generation C-130J Hercules/Is To Replace Both Types. (RNZAF)
Skytrain Tests Kiwi and RSAF Transports
0 comment
Skytrain Tests RNZAF and RSAF Transport Skills
Exercises in New Zealand recently highlighted the close defence ties New Zealand pursues with its allies and neighbours in South East Asia. C-130H Hercules of the Republic of Singapore Air Force recently spent nearly two weeks in Napier on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, joining two Hercules of the RNZAF’s No 40 Squadron and two Andovers of No 42 Squadron for Exercise Skytrain. Australian Aviation’s Matthew Wright was there to check on the exercise and the state of the RNZAF’s transport fleet.
New Zealand – like Australia – identifies security interests in South East Asia.
Both nations regularly hold exercises with their northern allies under the auspices of the Five Power Defence Arrangements. Starfish and Vanguard, typically held in the final quarter of the year, bring together Australian, New Zealand, British, Singaporean and Malaysian forces in a wide-ranging series of anti-submarine and general air combat activities. Skytrain operations are the flip side of these ‘sharp end’ activities, and are designed to rehearse cargo dropping skills. Arguably this ‘truck driving’ is as equally important as the more glamorous dissimilar air combat training and anti-submarine sorties of other FPDA work. An army without supplies would quickly grind to a halt. Skytrain sorties involve low level navigation to a specific drop zone. Cargo is dropped on time within a 30m radius during a pop-up manoeuvre, and the aircraft then makes a low level egress. Territory in northern Hawke’s Bay where the drop zone was located is particularly rugged, stretching the skill of pilots, navigators and loadmasters alike. Traditionally these exercises are held away from 40 Squadron’s home at RNZAF Base Auckland. Detachment commander Squadron Leader John Cummings said that setting up a camp then operating from it is part of the whole exercise experience. Indeed, the RNZAF has considerable proficiency when it comes to getting operational from a new area. During deployment to Somalia in 1994, RNZAF forces were ready within 48 hours of arrival. Other UN forces took up to 10 days to achieve the same status. Cummings welcomed the opportunity to work with Singaporean forces. He said that there are advantages for both sides with this kind of cooperative work. The RNZAF is more experienced in the art of precision cargo dropping. The Singaporeans work with other forces, including the Americans, and can bring skills and techniques of their own which they teach to the RNZAF. No Singaporean personnel were available for interview at the exercise. However, an official communique stated that the RSAF was appreciative of the RNZAF’s invitation to regularly participate in the Skytrain series since 1985. This year’s Skytrain was also unique because two Hawker Siddeley Andovers of 42 Squadron worked with the Hercules. The Andovers can fly into shorter airstrips than Hercules and are better suited for smaller loads which would waste the Hercules’ 20,430kg (45,000lb) capacity. The Andovers are – to put it mildly – somewhat long in the tooth. I had the opportunity to fly on board one of the two Andovers to the exercise venue, and noticed superficial signs of wear and tear, though maintenance was clearly very thorough. Internal equipment – for instance, the analogue instrumentation and electronics – is obsolete. Queried about the effects of age, Andover detachment commander John Benson-Cooper said that the airframes are very strong and they have a further 20 years fatigue life. The real problem is spare parts, which have to be imported from Britain and are very expensive. Commonality with the HS.748, (until recently operated in New Zealand by Mount Cook Airline) on which the Andover is based, is less than 20%.
Flying a Low Level Sortie
I joined a sortie by C-130H, serial number 7005, on a day marked by high cloud and gusty winds – not the best weather for a low level sortie. Flying is not a matter of kicking the tyres and taking off. Aircrews typically do about three hours intensive planning beforehand, plotting every detail to avoid known hazards and built-up areas. Weather reports are vital – for this purpose the Air Force had its own meteorological officer in the camp. At the last minute the practice load of water barrels is pulled off; there will be no drop today as the winds are too high at the drop zone. Ground winds over 17kt (32km/h) are likely to result in the load being dragged, risking the handlers at the drop site. We are warned about turbulence – a Toyota Hilux utility is driven into the Hercules to provide us with ballast and to steady the aircraft. Takeoff is noisy but uneventful, a relatively short roll followed by only a slight climb to cruising altitude. I climb to the flight deck a few minutes into the mission to get a better view. The ride is hard, the view spectacular. I can see every sheep, fence, house and tree as we hurtle around the hills at 210kt (390km/h). The flight deck is frantically busy as the pilot, copilot, observer and navigator watch for hazards such as birds, trees and the occasional power line. Our pilot, Flight Lieutenant Ian Davie-Martin, tells me that in an emergency he can go to full throttle and a 30 degree climb angle. We would gain 4000 feet before he runs out of flying speed. Wind and turbulence make this an exceptionally rough ride even by ground-hugging standards. We’re shaken, jolted and rattled with merciless abandon, taking a real hammering. Over the ridges we sink with gut wrenching speed. Fourteen minutes out of Napier we head for our ‘drop zone’ – the point where, if the winds had been cooperative, we would have let a 2300kg parachute load out the back. We make a simulated release run; the navigator lies down on his belly to get a better view through the chin windows as we ‘drop’. Calculating the release point is known as ‘carping’ – a reference to the acronym ‘Calculated Air Release Point’. It is a high precision task that involves a good deal of calculation and even more raw skill. Every variable has to be calculated. Crews given the task are always experienced – pilots and navigators have 500 hours or more under their belts, loadmasters 1000 hours or more. Calculations are done manually with a circular slide-rule known as a ‘prayer wheel’. The C-130 Hercules is capable of dropping up to 19,070kg (42,000lb) in a single load, or 16,800kg (37,000lb) in separate one tonne containers. Heavy loads – up to 2270kg (5000lb) – are fitted with 30m diameter G-11A or B parachutes; heavier pallets can be fitted with two or more of the big canopies. The biggest single load to date was a D5 bulldozer dropped on Pitcairn Island in 1984. It went down in two batches – the chassis, then the dozer blade. Most loads have to be dropped from height – one tonne loads on an A-22 container can be deployed at 400ft, larger loads from higher altitudes, typically 700ft. However, ingress to and egress from the drop zone is typically much lower, no more than 250ft, the legal minimum for safe flying. Deployed to a combat zone like Bosnia, vulnerable transports have to fly low and fast to foil hostile ground fire. An upgrade program, Project Delphi, is currently under way to fit the RNZAF’s five C-130H Hercules with armour and flares to make these missions slightly safer. The Hercules deployed to Rwanda in 1994 was temporarily fitted with armour in Australia.
This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
Joint Hercules Replacement Likely
for a variety of long-range transport missions overseas, and in recent
years have seen action in the Gulf War and Bosnia. (RNZAF)
The RNZAF’s No 40 Squadron operates five C-130H Hercules transports. Three – NZ 7001, 7002 and 7003 were the very first H models delivered, and entered RNZAF service over three decades ago in 1965. The Hercules I flew on, NZ 7005, was delivered to New Zealand along with NZ 7004 in January 1969, but despite being nearly 30 years old the aircraft showed little external evidence of age. Instrumentation and equipment fit was clearly 1960s vintage. I was intrigued by the packed bookshelf adjacent to the ladder leading up to the flight deck. Because Kiwi Hercules are so frequently deployed overseas, they carry a full set of maintenance manuals at all times – reducing reliance on external sources. However, although NZ 7005 had obviously received a good deal of loving care from maintenance crews, the fact remains that New Zealand’s Hercules aircraft are getting old. In November 1995, NZ 7001, 7002 and 7003 were grounded by serious cracks in the lower fuselage near the cargo ramp. The groundings were a serious blow to operations, coming when 40 Squadron was particularly heavily committed to Operation Icecube – supply deliveries to the South Pole – as well as Bosnia resupply missions. Repairs involved both military and civilian technical resources. There was close liaison with RAAF specialists – the RAAF’s own Hercules had suffered similar problems. A worldwide search was conducted for the 50 special fasteners required to complete the work which was undertaken in three centres around New Zealand. NZ 7002 was undergoing depot maintenance at the time at RNZAF Base Woodbourne, and repairs to that aircraft were conducted there. NZ 7001 was repaired at RNZAF Base Auckland, and NZ 7003 was sent to the Air New Zealand workshops in Christchurch. After just five weeks two of the three aircraft were back in service. Ultimately there are limits to how long aircraft can be kept flying economically. The RNZAF has recognised the need for a Hercules replacement for some time. There seems to have been no question that the replacement would be another Hercules – no other viable successor has yet been produced, a remarkable achievement for a design that was finalised four and a half decades ago. Nevertheless fiscal restraints have been a major problem, complicated by the fact that the minimal numbers required by New Zealand would result in high unit costs. The possibility of adding an order onto the end of a large run for Australia was explored last year, and the New Zealand government took up an option on eight new C-130J Hercules IIs that could be added to the Australian production run. The J model Hercules offers a number of very significant improvements over the originals, including an 80kt (148km/h) increase in cruising speed. Modern Allison AE2100 turboprops and digital avionics coupled with a well proven airframe offer a combination that will remain effective well into the 21st century. The buy has yet to be finalised, but there are obvious efficiencies from such an arrangement. Apart from the lower unit purchase cost, there are operational efficiencies from having a common airframe and fittings. This is particularly true in the context of New Zealand’s special defence relationship with Australia. The only disadvantage for New Zealand would be that the new aircraft would also replace the Andovers, reducing operational flexibility. Whether New Zealand buys new Hercules in the immediate future or not, the fact remains that the need for transport aircraft – and the exercises that go with the capability – will not go away.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Australian Aviation a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Australian Aviation as a preferred news source.
