New Zealand decommissioned a fleet of C-130H Hercules military transport aircraft
The Royal New Zealand Air Force has retired five C-130H Hercules military transport aircraft after six decades of service.
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The farewell ceremony included a flight over Northland, and another transit over the South Island is scheduled for next week. Four of the aircraft will be transferred to RNZAF Woodbourne in Blenheim and one will be placed at the RAF Museum in Wigram.
During their service, the C-130Hs have logged more than 155,000 accident-free flight hours and made around 100,000 international landings. The first three aircraft were delivered to No. 40 Squadron at RNZAF Auckland in 1965, and four years later, Wellington (the capital of New Zealand)
acquired two more. The aircraft have undergone numerous modifications, including a major overhaul in 2005, after which they were renamed the C-130H.
A C-130H Hercules transport aircraft. Illustration: NZDF
The Hercules' main missions include support to the New Zealand Army during the Vietnam War, evacuation operations in the Middle East, humanitarian missions in the Indo-Pacific region, and assistance to allies during the Cold War. In 2001, the aircraft transported the 1st New Zealand Special Aviation Regiment to Afghanistan and later participated in the transport of military aid to Ukraine.
In 2020, the New Zealand Ministry of Defence selected new C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft to replace the C-130H fleet.
Source: NZDF
