In 2020, New Zealand purchased a total of five new C-130J-30 Super Hercules for just under 1.5 billion euros from manufacturer Lockheed Martin in 2020. In addition to crew training and spare parts, the overall package also includes a full-mission flight simulator, the first construction phase of which has now been completed in Canada.
The cockpit was assembled in Montreal before being transported overland to Tampa (USA), where the equipment, software and other details are now being installed. According to the head of the Super Hercules project team at the New Zealand Ministry of Defense, Andrew Rooney, the simulator is scheduled to arrive in New Zealand in 2025. “The simulator will arrive at the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) base in Auckland, where No. 40 Squadron, which maintains and flies the Hercs, is based,” said Andrew Rooney. On site, construction of the building that will house the flight simulator is already well underway, with the foundations completed and the tilt plate walls erected. To accommodate the simulator, the building is almost 16 meters high. https://militaeraktuell.at/air-chief-promberger-erklaert-die-sky-shield-initiative/ “Simulators shorten maintenance and flight times on real aircraft, which saves money and time and reduces the risk to people and aircraft. They also improve the safety and deployability of the crew, as they can train for various emergency situations and bad weather conditions in a simulated flight environment,” says Andrew Rooney. Another important milestone from the perspective of the New Zealand Ministry of Defense is the completion of training for the first crew, who are now certified to fly a US Air Force C-130J-30. According to information from Lockheed Martin, the construction of the fleet is also already in full swing. All five aircraft are already on the production line. The first aircraft has even been completed, the engines and systems have been installed and testing has begun. The first C-130J-30 Super Hercules is scheduled to land in New Zealand in 2024.
Click here for more reports on Lockheed-Martin.
