New C-130 Hercules for Royal Netherlands Air Force completes Successful First Flight

Marshall Aerospace is pleased to announce the successful test flight of G988, the first of two C-130s being upgraded for the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF). The flight took place from Marshall’s airport at Cambridge, where the upgrade work was conducted, and lasted 2 hours during which G988 covered 400 nautical miles.

Both aircraft (G988 and G781 – which is scheduled for its test flight later in the year) are needed by the RNLAF to meet its increased operational requirements. Previously owned by the US Navy, these aircraft last flew in 1991 and had been modified to the EC-130Q standard for Maritime Electronic Warfare operations.

G988 has undergone an extensive cockpit upgrade which has seen the replacement of virtually all analogue displays with the latest in digital technology (the “glass cockpit”), to ease pilot workload, increase situational awareness and comply with the latest civil airspace regulations. Also, many cabin safety enhancements have been made to meet the civil certification requirements.

Martin Broadhurst, Chief Executive of Marshall Aerospace, comments: “We are extremely proud of the engineering achievements of this programme, which will provide the Royal Netherlands Air Force with two bespoke C-130 Hercules. Our relationship with the C-130 dates back to the mid-60s and as a recognised Engineering Authority we have undertaken hundreds of design and modification programmes. This total recovery and upgrade for the RNLAF has been one of the most extensive and complex ever undertaken by the company.”

Further test flights are scheduled for the coming weeks, during which the RNLAF will carry out their training on the aircraft.

Source: Marshall Aerospace