I thought this was over and done with..but again a flurry of reports :
India clinches $1b Hercules deal
31 May, 2007 l 0132 hrs ISTlChidanand Rajghatta/TIMES NEWS NETWORK
WASHINGTON: The Bush administration has notified Congress of the impending sale to India of six C-130J aircraft and accessories worth more than $1 billion, underscoring the growing “Americanisation” of Indian military hardware.The proposed sale, the Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in its notification this week, “will enhance the foreign policy and national security objectives of the US by providing the Indian government with a credible special operations airlift capacity that will deter aggression in the region, provide humanitarian airlift capability and provide interoperability with US forces in coalition operations.”
The purchase will mark a significant diversification of India’s military transport paradigm that has traditionally rested on Soviet-supplied AN-32 and IL-76 aircraft. Earlier this year, New Delhi purchased the American landing dock USS Trenton, which will give the Indian Navy amphibious landing capability.
The $1.059 billion transaction will also be the single largest Indian military purchase to date from the United States. C-130J is the latest model of the trusted and versatile Hercules transport aircraft that has been an American workhorse for half a century, the longest continuous production-run of any military aircraft in history.
Capable of short takeoffs and landings from unprepared runways and dirt tracks, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation and cargo transport aircraft.
But the latest model that India will purchase will be a souped up version of the Super Hercules, capable of multiple functions. Much of the special mission equipment added to the Hercules is removable, allowing the aircraft to revert back to its cargo delivery role if desired. The C-130J is currently being used by American and allied forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition to the basic aircraft frames and equipment, India is also said to have asked for four Rolls Royce AE 2100D3 spare engines; eight AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems; eight AN/ALR-56M Advanced Radar Warning Receivers; eight AN/ALE-47 Counter-Measures Dispensing Systems; eight AAQ-22 Star SAFIRE III Special Operations Suites.
Also the same news from DID..about the stuff India requested …
May 25/07: The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notifies Congress [PDF format] of India’s request for 6 C-130J Aircraft in Special Forces configuration, as well as associated equipment and services. The total value if all options are exercised, could be as high as $1.059 billion, and the request includes:
6 Lockheed Martin C-130J United States Air Force (USAF) baseline aircraft including USAF baseline equipment
4 Rolls Royce AE 2100D3 spare engines
8 AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems (two of them spares)
8 AN/ALR-56M Advanced Radar Warning Receivers (two of them spares)
8 AN/ALE-47 Counter-Measures Dispensing Systems (two of them spares)
8 AAQ-22 Star SAFIRE III Special Operations Suites (two of them spares)
8 ALQ-211 Suite of Integrated Radio Frequency Countermeasures (two of them spares)
2 spare AN/ARC-210 Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS)
8 spare Secure Voice Very High Frequency/Ultra High Frequency Radios
4 spare Secure Voice High Frequency Radios
3 spare AN/AAR-222 SINCGARS and Key Gen (KV-10) Systems
1 KIV-119 Non-standard Communication/COMSEC equipment
2 ARC-210 Non-standard Communication/COMSEC equipmentAlso included are spare and repair parts, configuration updates, communications security equipment and radios, integration studies, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, technical services, personnel training and training equipment, foreign liaison office support, Field Service Representatives’ services, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics personnel services, and other related elements of logistics support. Implementation of this proposed sale may require the assignment of 10 each U.S. Government and contractor representatives in India for a periodic of up to 2 weeks.
The principal contractors will be: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Fort Worth, TX and Rolls-Royce Corporation in Indianapolis, IN. Offset agreements associated with this proposed sale are expected per India’s rules covering foreign defense purchases, but they will be defined in negotiations. Note that Rolls Royce is already gearing up operations in India, and Lockheed Martin has offered to perform extensive F-16 assembly work in India if it should win the $6-10 billion MRCA fighter competition. DSCA adds that:
“This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of an important partner and to strengthen the U.S.-India strategic relationship, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in South Asia. India and the United States are forging an important strategic partnership. The proposed sale will enhance the foreign policy and national security objectives of the U.S. by providing the Indian Government with a credible special operations airlift capability that will deter aggression in the region, provide humanitarian airlift capability and ensure interoperability with U.S. forces in coalition operations.”
Dec 14/06: U.S. Air Force officials and others confirm delivery of an Indian Defence Ministry request for details of a possible purchase of 6 C-130Js, to the U.S. embassy in New Delhi. Per standard procedure, the embassy has forwarded it to the U.S. Air Force’s office of international affairs. See India Defence coverage.
DID Brief: May 5/06
Lockheed sources initially gave a figure of 12-13 aircraft as the number under discussion, which would take over the special forces role and supplement India’s current fleet of 100 or so medium lift twin-turboprop AN-32 “Sutlej” aircraft. No word on whether the Hercs in question would be C-130Js with minor customizations, or a J variant of the heavily-modified and much more expensive MC-130 “Combat Talon” special forces aircraft. India’s emerging Air Force philosophy and terrorism threat profiles would seem to suggest the MC-130 as the best doctrinal fit, while budgetary constraints (the MC-130H lists as $155 million in FY 2001 dollars, and an MC-130J Combat Talon III would cost more) would suggest the C-130J route. [DID: the requested equipment set and cost levels seem to indicate an aircraft similar to the Combat Talon]
Also this pix comparing the sizes of the C-130 with the IL-76 which is of course the heavy lift a/c for the IAF..
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