Opinion: You can never have too much airlift

In advance of an expected new order of Hercules, Lockheed Martin hails its long service to the RAAF

For more than 60 years, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the Australian public have been exceedingly well-served by the C-130 Hercules. The RAAF was the first international operator of the C-130 and it has been used by Australia in a wide variety of operational theatres since the 1960s, including the Vietnam War, East Timor, and Afghanistan. The current C-130J Super Hercules fleet has the distinction of being the longest continuously deployed aircraft type in the RAAF’s 100-year history, serving more than 10 years in the Middle East. In the coming decade, the C-130 will log its millionth flying hour in RAAF service.

The C-130J is a critical piece of Australia’s national security infrastructure, providing disaster relief capabilities such as airdrop and the ability to access unprepared strips. The C-130J has been on hand whenever natural disasters have struck Australia or our regional neighbours and have been used in Cyclone Tracy, the Asian tsunami, flood relief, and in more recent times, the Tongan volcanic eruption. Defence also uses the aircraft as an element of Australia’s military diplomacy and soft power engagement, such as in support of Pacific nations.
As a former commander of the RAAF’s Air Mobility Group, I subscribe to the adage that “you can never have too much airlift” and that additional airlift will be needed to support the growth — in both personnel and capability — of the Australian Defence Force.