Sweden buys Super Hercules from Italy
Airforces Monthly reports that the Svenska Flygvapnet (Swed AF, Swedish Air Force) has bought four C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft from Italy. In an interview with the magazine, the Flygvapnet Commander, Major General Carl-Johan Edström, told that the first two former Aeronautica Militare (ItAF, Italian Air Force) C-130Js will arrive in 2023. Both aircraft will be modified at a later stage.
The second pair will also come from Italy and Carl-Johan Edström hopes that a fifth and sixth C-130J could also come from Italy, so that the current six C-130Hs (Tp84) will be replaced by six C-130Js.
Sweden decided not to upgrade the current Tp84s, because the fleet numbers would drop for several years while they were away being modified, which would take six to nine months at a time. Sweden commits to a 2+2+2 acquisition, probably by 2025, to replace a similar number of C-130Hs currently in use.
According to the information, the ItAF has stored an unknown number of C-130Js. The Super Hercules transport fleet, operated by the 46ª Brigata Aerea Silvio Angelucci at Pisa/San Giusto, consists of twelve C-130Js and ten C-130J-30s, of which one was written off on 23 November 2009. Three C-130Js have been converted to KC-130J tankers, although Italy originally acquired six air-to-air refuelling kits.
The situation with the Italian C-130J transporters is not cristal clear. At least three aircraft are noted stored at Pisa on several occasions, but is not known if these are always the same aircraft. Also around two to three aircraft can be found at Venice, but this is more related to the maintenance of the transporters.
In February 2022, a €380 million technical-logistical five year support contract for the C-130J fleet was signed between the air force and the Temporary Business Grouping (RTI) formed by Leonardo, Avio Aero and Lockheed Martin. It was not mentioned how many C-130Js are involved in this contract.
So we have to wait which Italian C-130Js and which variants are earmarked for sale to Sweden.
Photos by Ruud van den Berg and Frank Noort (both Scramble Archive)