Agreement reached on Hercules upgrade
The government has reached an agreement on completing the delayed upgrade of the Air Force C130 Hercules aircraft which will see most of the work done in New Zealand, Defence Minister Wayne Mapp says.US company L3 Communications has been tasked with the u
The government has reached an agreement on completing the delayed upgrade of the Air Force C130 Hercules aircraft which will see most of the work done in New Zealand, Defence Minister Wayne Mapp says.
US company L3 Communications has been tasked with the upgrades, which are still not complete despite the $226 million contract starting over five years ago.
The air force has had two aircraft back but equipment software and contractual problems have dogged the project and three aircraft are yet to be upgraded to the standards expected.
Air New Zealand subsidiary Safe Air was sub-contracted to do some of the work, but with aircraft not being sent to the company's Blenheim base from the USwhen expected it led to job lay-offs and continued difficulties for the air force.
Today, Dr Mapp said the government and L3 had reached an agreement. The work would be done in New Zealand, most of it at Safe Air's premises in Blenheim.
"Under the new agreement the work will be completed using the skills of the workforce in Blenheim," Dr Mapp said.
Two aircraft would be returned to the air force for test and evaluation by the end of the year.
The first of the last three aircraft was expected to enter the modification programme early next year.
The upgrade of the C130 includes refurbishment of the aircrafts' centre wings and other structural components, a major rewire and replacement of avionics systems, flight measurement, autopilot and navigation and communication suites.
Dr Mapp said he would now focus on the contracts for the purchase of helicopters and the P3 Orion upgrade.
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