285SQN

Training RAAF Hercules crews

It’s been a hectic five years in for the RAAF’s Air Lift Group, having seen retirement of platforms such as the Caribou and Boeing 707, the consolidation of the Hercules fleet and the introduction of significantly enhanced strategic airlift capability thanks to the C-17 and KC-30.
So it is easy to forget, however, that despite the addition of this capability, the majority of ALG’s bullocking work is still performed by an aircraft the RAAF has been operating for 52 accident free years – the C-130 Hercules.

Today, a mixed fleet of H and J model Hercules is operated by 37SQN based at RAAF Richmond, a fleet that’s tasked to perform the myriad missions entrusted to the C-130 – anything from search and rescue off the coast of NSW to (with three aircraft based at Al-Mindad in the UAE) resupply missions to Tarin Kot, Afghanistan.