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Pretoria - US aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin has a team in South Africa to discuss options for replacing the South African Air Force's (SAAF's) fleet of obsolete cargo aircraft.
The company is currently in talks with the SAAF and Denel, said Dennys Plessas, vice-president for Lockheed’s business development initiatives.
The Air Force is discussing its air transport capacity, obsolete maritime patrol aircraft and lack of in-flight refuelling aircraft.
The Air Force's existing fleet of nine Hercules C-130 aircraft dates back to the early 1960s, while its maritime Dakotas go back to World War II.
The Boeing 707s used for in-flight refuelling for its fighter aircraft were scrapped more than two years ago.
Subsequently the defence ministry cancelled a South African order for Airbus A400M aircraft, because of delays in the manufacturing process and escalating costs.
Plessas said the new, expanded C130J transport aircraft can meet at least 90% of the Air Force's air transport requirements. The surface of the aircraft is slightly smaller than that of the A400M and it can transport almost the same number of combat troops and cargo pallets as the Airbus.
- Sake24.com
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