SECDEF Vows To Kill It, But Congress Keeps Sending Money

Consider, for a moment, the Lockheed C-130J Hercules -- the latest incarnation of an aircraft considered one of the military's heartiest workhorses. If the C-130J were a wine, it would be off the list at most restaurants, according to the Pentagon. It can't fly the mission for which it was designed. It has design problems that are so severe, an inspector general's report said the problems were so bad that, left uncorrected, could "cause death, severe injury or illness, major loss of equipment or systems." The report, quoted by the New York Times, concluded, "Lockheed Martin has been unable to design, develop or produce a C-130J aircraft that meets contract specifications in the eight years since production began."

The C-130J can't drop heavy equipment. It can't be used to drop troops. It can't operate in cold weather and is an unsuitable SAR platform. So says the Pentagon.

The USAF, however, stands behind the aircraft, saying most of the problems have been addressed. Many lawmakers on Capitol Hill reportedly like the aircraft because they can buy them for the National Guard troops back home. But Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld has promised to kill the C-130J as part of his plan to upgrade the military.

"It's going to be a battle royale," Dov Zakheim, the Pentagon's former comptroller and chief financial officer, told the Times. "In other years, Congress went and put money back in the program in spite of the Pentagon. So it shouldn't come as any surprise Congress would not take these cuts sitting down."

The DoD's chief weapons tester, Thomas Christie, said in January that the aircraft is "neither operationally effective nor operationally suitable" and has "failed to meet operational requirements," according to the Times.

One major problem appears to be engines that are simply too powerful, according to a senior engineer at the Defense Contract Management Agency in Marietta, GA. Ken Pendeleose said the powerplants produce so much thrust that they can damage the props on take-off, making the aircraft more prone to stalls.

That same problem, according to Pendeleose, makes it tough for paratroopers to jump out of the aircraft without being blown back into the fuselage (although that problem likely doesn't exist in jumps through the rear cargo door).

But those issues aside, 29 Capitol Hill lawmakers have already written President Bush, asking him to cancel the cancellation. The C-130J's opponents in Congress, angry at the way the paperwork was done (the aircraft was declared a commercial purchase, supposedly clearing the way for a faster, less expensive purchase) and say the aircraft simply doesn't measure up to Lockheed's promises. They think the program should be cancelled and the bill sent to Lockheed Martin headquarters.

The C-130J will be on trial for its life later this year. "There will be tests this summer, and after that, the Air Force expects the C-130J will be fully mission capable," Air Force spokesman Doug Karas told the Times. "We've worked on fixing and updating."

FMI: www.mdang.ang.af.mil/C130J-public