C-130J to be inducted into Indian Air Force on Feb 5: Air Chief

New Delhi, Feb 3 (ANI): The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P. V. Naik today said C-130J, which is capable of landing on all terrains and in varied altitudes, would be inducted into the Indian Air Force on February 5.

"The aircraft is capable of landing on all sorts of terrains and altitudes. C-130 J has been made capable of special operations, missions also. So all these are the reasons why we went in for the aircraft," said Naik.

"Yes, all kinds of special missions, but I would not like to specify any of them," he added, when asked about the capability of the aircraft.

Meanwhile, former Air Chief Shashindra Pal Tyagi said: "C-130 J is for a special tasks. Situations arise with demand for moving troops' material, cargo in specific areas. For example, an aircraft gets hijacked in Kandahar. Kandahar airfield might not be available to you. We might have to land on an unprepared surface. We need an aeroplane for special tasks."

"I don't want to get into great details about what these special tasks are. But C-130 J will perform well. It can land anywhere virtually, almost all unprepared areas, by day or by night," he added.

Lockheed Martin Corporation delivered the first of six 'C-130J Super Hercules' for the Indian Air Force in December last year.

The 1.2 billion dollars new fleet was ordered in late 2008, and was the first US Foreign Military sale to India in many years.

The contract includes six aircraft, training of aircrew and maintenance technicians, spares, ground support and test equipment, servicing carts, forklifts, loading vehicles, cargo pallets and a team of technical specialists who will be based in India during a three-year initial support period.

The package also includes India-unique operational equipment designed to increase 'Special Operations' capabilities. The first two C-130Js will be flown to India early next year, followed by the remaining four aircraft deliveries later in 2011.

The Indian Air Force's C-130J Super Hercules is a highly integrated and sophisticated configuration primarily designed to support India's special operations requirement. Equipped with an Infrared Detection Set (IDS), the aircraft can perform precision low-level flying, airdrops and landing in blackout conditions. (ANI)