<strong>Title: </strong> <a href="/link.php?id=29136" target="_blank">Feds unveil $1.4B military cargo plane contract</a> (click to view)

<strong>Category:</strong> <a href="/news/topic/13-military" target="_blank">Military</a>
<strong>Posted By: </strong> <a href="/modules.php?name=Your_Account&op=userinfo&username=benderkyle" target="_blank">benderkyle</a>
<strong>Date: </strong> 2008-01-17 02:06:32
<strong>Canadian</strong>

   

Money well spent in my opinion. A deal for these cargo planes was urgent.

   

Very well spent... but where is the buffalo's replacement???? A Herc cannot go thru the mountain. We needed the Fixed Wing SAR yesterday. They only have 6 replacement props left.

   

A Herc cant go through the mountain? I know your english is bad Mario but a Herc can fly allmost anywhere and allthough it takes a mile to land is still the plane of choice for the north for resupply.
Even though there's only 2 flying as commercial aircraft in Canada.

   

I Herc can Fly over, but are very limited when they need to do SAR in the valleys. They need a smaller and more manuverable aircraft.

   

I was beginning to wonder when this would get done.

And yes although the fixed wing SAR is badly needed, i think these are more urgently needed. without the hercs supplying, the whole military grinds to a halt.

What i dont understand with the SAR is why they are looking at two small cargo planes for its replacement. these seem like overly complex and expensive aircraft for their intended use. couldnt we find a smaller civvy plane that is ready now and cheaply converted to SAR use (from bombardier for example)? This is slightly off topic but i thought i would throw that out there.

   

They looked at Dash-8s for fixed wing SAR but they require a loading ramp. To date the only contenders are the C-27J and the C-295

http://www.c-295.ca/
http://www.c-27j.ca/

   

The Herc is a workhorse and it's good to see some replacements finally being bought. The only probelm I have with the deal is this;

In the past, there were companies like Northwest and BAE who could repair planes here in the West. If Lockheed doesn't choose them as sub-contractors, then we could wind up having to fly these planes to the US to repair them, which means fewer jobs for us.

   

If I remember correctly though, this portion of the contract is still under negotiations.

   

I take it you have never been in Herc when we do SAR Training in valleys. It is a much more capable plane then you say it is, and has ALOT more range and SAR ability then the Buffalo.

   

Considering we just bought the C-117's to haul stuff all over the place , plus a bunch of converted air buses, this a lot of money that could have been better spent on other equipment.

   

It all boils down to having the right tool for the job. CC177 (C-17) aircraft are primarily strategic long haul aircraft, although the USAF is rethinking the need for Hercs as C-17s can land and take off on same size strips carrying four times the weight.

Hercs are primarily tactical intra-theatre aircraft designed for short haul, hence limited galley and bathroom facilities. Winnipeg based 435 (T&R) Squadron Hercs can and are used for mountain SAR, but are not an ideal platform as they can be very trickey maneuvering in valleys.

The C27J or C295 aircraft would be much better suited for this role but I think the FWSAR project is low on the priority list for money. A lot of folks are asking why the military is tasked to do SAR, other than good PR it does not support military battlefield objectives, eats up aircraft and aircrew resources, and are not deployable assets.