The Dutch Ministry of Defense has found a successor to the C-130H Hercules in the C-390M from Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. The intention is that the first new transport aircraft will arrive in the Netherlands in 2026. This is what State Secretary Christophe van der Maat wrote to the Lower House today.
The 4 C-130s of the Ministry of Defense have reached the end of their lifespan. Initially it was intended to keep them flying until at least 2031, but they are increasingly less deployable due to defects. In 2020, it was therefore decided to replace them anyway.
The original plan was to acquire 4 new aircraft, but this will be 5. He refers to the evacuations in Afghanistan in 2021 and the drastically changed security situation on the eastern flank of Europe. “These have underlined the importance of guaranteed availability of transport capacity for the armed forces. With an expansion from 2,400 to 4,000 flying hours, units can be supported better and more often. The Netherlands is also helping to fill a European shortfall. Furthermore, additional transport capacity benefits the speed to respond in the event of calamities.”
The Defense Department made several requirements for the successor to the C-130. Research showed that the C-390M was better than the C-130J from Lockheed Martin, which was seen as an alternative. The C-390M has higher availability, scores better on a number of operational and technical requirements and requires less maintenance. Moreover, the C-390M can already meet the minimum requirement of 2,400 flight hours with 4 aircraft. The C-130J needs 5 aircraft for that.
The intention is that the C-390M also participates in the European Air Transport Command. This is a cooperation of 7 European countries in the field of air transport. The addition of the C-390M will benefit the pooling and sharing of capacities in a European context. This happens with similar but also different types of transport aircraft.
Because the Dutch Ministry of Defense wants to increase the number of flying hours, the estimated costs will also go up. Initially it was estimated between € 250 million and € 1 billion. That will now be between €1 billion and €2.5 billion.
Photo Rob Vogelaar
