Thu, Jan 20, 2005
Hardware And Software Problems Abound
The Lockheed-Martin C-130J, already
on the Pentagon's chopping block because of budget cuts, is still
having hardware and software problems that, in the opinion of some
evaluators in Washington, render it combat ineffective.
That word comes from the director of the Pentagon's operational
testing and evaluation unit, Thomas Christie in his annual weapons
systems report.
Both Lockheed and the Air Force have said over and over again
that the glitches are being fixed, according to Bloomberg News.
Christie seemed willing to agree. "A program for the correction
of deficiencies is being worked," he wrote.
So far, the USAF has put two C-130J aircraft into operation in
Iraq, out of the 59 ordered by the various services. The aircraft
"are performing extremely well," according to Lockheed spokesman
Peter Simmons.
More C-130Js are coming online. The USMC says it will make its
tanker versions of the aircraft operational next month.
The C-130J is a modification of the C-130H. The J modification
includes a two-crew member flight station, upgraded Allison AE
2100D3 engines, enhanced performance, and improved reliability and
maintainability. The C-130J/J-30 integrated digital technology has
the capability to airdrop in instrument conditions without zone
markers -- a baseline feature of the aircraft. When the high
resolution ground mapping capability of the APN-241 Low Power Color
Radar is coupled with the dual INS/GPS and digital mapping systems,
the C-130J/J-30 provides single-ship or formation all weather
aerial delivery.
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