Lockheed Martin’s Sea Hercules unveiled, offered to Indian Navy

[angeldemon_007]

Lockheed Martin has responded with the Sea Hercules to the Indian Navy's Request for Information (RFI) for Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft...

US defense and aviation giant Lockheed Martin unveiled the maritime version of its successful C-130 Hercules medium airlifter at the Singapore Air Show in February 2012. Vice President of Business Development, George Standridge, pointed to a tiny inset image in a slide during a presentation made at the show, calling it the ‘Sea Herc’.

“You take the well–proven airframe and program that the C-130J brings and you essentially import the capabilities of the P-3 mission systems that’s flying internationally and you end up with the Sea Hercules,” he said.

Lockheed Martin has responded with the Sea Hercules to the Indian Navy’s Request for Information (RFI) for Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft, as first reported by StratPost.

Standridge went on, “And the beauty of this type of airplane – it’s a four-engine turbo-prop – it means time on station, it means the ability to prosecute targets and potential threats as well as shipping across a broad spectrum of any type of ocean mass. We’re spending a lot of time talking with new potential customers now in an effort to be responsive to that market as they look at the continued emphasis on maritime patrol surveillance as well as Anti Submarine Warfare.”

StratPost dug a little deeper, asking about the genesis of the new variant and elicited an emailed response from Lockheed Martin about the configuration. The company says it has already built a ‘maritime configuration for the C-130 that the US Coast Guard currently operates’.

“We are expanding the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance (MPRA) capability at the request of several international customers to include full Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW). The Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion MPRA operated by the US Navy and twenty domestic and international operators provides the modern mission system and sensors which can be palletized and transferred to the SC-130J Sea Herc. The C-130J operates in many different configurations in addition to its primary role as a combat delivery vehicle. Adding full ASW capability to the C-130J is a logical response to meet an international demand for a long range, long time on station, turbo prop multi-role aircraft,” said the company.

The aircraft isn’t a mere concept, says the company. “With the exception of some test and development required for the full ASW configuration, the majority of SC-130J capability has been developed and is currently in operation. LM has developed many operational mission configurations for the C-130 based on customer requests. LM has considered the development of full ASW for the C-130J over the last ten years, but recent customer demand has moved this past the concept stage into development and test.”

Lockheed Martin says that ‘Not counting the systems brought in for Maritime Patrol and ASW and production and after production mods, there is no difference between a SC-130J Sea Herc and C-130J Super Hercules’.
So what does make it different? “The ASW capabilities of the P-3 Orion including torpedoes, forward firing weapons and sonobuoy delivery have been incorporated into the SC-130J in-addition to the mission system and sensors,” says the company, also pointing out, “In-addition, the C-130J has a 60,000 flt hour rated center wing box providing the ideal ruggedness required to meet the turbulence often encountered in low altitude operations.”

This does not mean the Sea Hercules will necessarily amount to the Orion’s systems onboard a Super Hercules. “The capability of the Sea Herc including ISR/ASW systems can be determined by the customer. While we are utilizing the latest P-3 mission system and software as a constant, the customer can tailor the sensors they desire to meet their operational needs,” says Lockheed Martin.

But the Sea Hercules will bring the advantage of variable configuration over the P-3 Orion.

The major difference in capability between the two aircraft is the P-3 Orion is a dedicated MPRA. The SC-130J Sea Herc with its palletized mission system can be used as a dedicated MPRA but offers the option of easily removing the palletized mission system providing combat delivery capability.

“The ability to change from one mission configurations to another is not offered in the P-3, not to mention the economies gained in a single TMS airframe,” says the company.

Lockheed Martin thinks the four turbo-prop engines of the platform make the aircraft a strong candidate for the Indian Navy. “The Sea Herc is designed to be a scalable MRMR MPRA adaptable to IN requirements. On station time is a critical component in the MPRA mission area and something the Sea Herc excels at when compared to a twin engine alternative. Payload capability, the ability to carry everything you need to execute the mission is another consideration when determining the right MPRA,” they say.

With the Indian Air Force (IAF) already inducting C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, Lockheed Martin thinks the Sea Hercules would be a good fit for the Indian Navy, saying, “Once again, staying with a similar TMS which is operated by the IAF may be a consideration offering a potential sustainment economy.”

The company rolled off it’s 2,400th C-130 in 2011 and currently has 319 orders, of which they’ve delivered around 250.

Lockheed Martin's Sea Hercules unveiled | StratPost

 

[jha]

Good Platform and good thinking by LM...Will give serious competition to diet P-8...

 

[Sergi]

Looks good. But I think we have enough P8s. Why choose different aircraft for same role and increase maintainance infrastructure ???

 

[Agent_47]

Better go for Saab 2000

While the SAAB 2000 is being offered with the RBS-15 Anti Ship Missile and a fifth generation Selex AESA radar

SAAB to bid for Indian Navy MRMR tender | StratPost

 

[sudhir007]

Looks good. But I think we have enough P8s. Why choose different aircraft for same role and increase maintainance infrastructure ???

P8i is LRMP and i think C-130 which LM offer us for MRMP Rfp which IN floated last month

 

[SpArK]

Its a good offer. With LM we can expect the best of the systems in technology, speedy delivery, great after sales, no hassle deal.

But bind the deal with some technology we are in need.Like ELTA -2052

 

[illusion8]

turbo prop planes cannot fly too high...or can they?. I have flown in turbo prop planes but they normally fly at lower altitudes than jet planes.

 

[sancho]

Good Platform and good thinking by LM...Will give serious competition to diet P-8...

Both won't be very cost-effective to operate, especially compared to opponents like Airbus C295 MPA, Saab 2000 MPA or IAIs proposal based on the Bombardier Q400 (all smaller twin engined turbo props). Not to mention that it depends on INs final decision about the compeition if jet engined aircrafts will be invited, Embraer and Dassault are waiting for this as well.
With P8 on the upper side, a smaller an cost-effective addition should be chosen, at best with commonality at least to ICG, that is also searching for MPAs.

Better go for Saab 2000

The are reports that this aircraft is not in production anymore and Saab could offer 2nd aircrafts here, not sure how interested IN might be if that is true.

turbo prop planes cannot fly too high...or can they?. I have flown in turbo prop planes but they normally fly at lower altitudes than jet planes.

MPAs usually are flyinh very low, so that won't be an issue.

 

[T90TankGuy]

with the AF also operating the C130 , there will be a lot of commonality which can be achieved in terms of spares . this seem to be a really good plane .

 

[ManuZ]

LM aircrafts look so cool...Its amazing..

 

[sancho]

with the AF also operating the C130 , there will be a lot of commonality which can be achieved in terms of spares . this seem to be a really good plane .

They are procuring just 12 x C130s, even P8I would give the same or even more commonality. Embraer wants to offer an MPA based on the same platform as DRDO AWACS, which again would increase commonality, especially since the number of DRDO AWACS is expected to be increased and IN has a shore based AWACS requirement as well.
From commonality reasons though, the Airbus C295 offers the most benefits, because IAF it in the competition for Avro replacements, which includes a licence production! That means the C295 MPA could be build on the same productionline as well not to mention that BSF and ICG are evaluating this aircraft in own tenders as well. Combining these could give MoD a big chance in a bigger single vendor deal, with maximum benefit of cost reduction (procurement-, production-, logistic- and maintenaince-costs)!
But I guess we will see 4 different aircrafts instead.

 

[Black Widow]

turbo prop planes cannot fly too high...or can they?. I have flown in turbo prop planes but they normally fly at lower altitudes than jet planes.

Nothing is religiously true or false when we talk about technology, Hope you remember russian bear (tulopov bomber), It was prop driven, It use to fly higher and faster.

But again depends how fast you consider fast.. and how high you consider high

@Topic: This machine is for medium role while P8I is for Long range, ppl must not confuse .


Back to computer from Mobile...

 

[Abingdonboy]

Looks like an attractive offer and it could be interesting if ICG go for the HERC also (not in MPA role but maritime role like with USCG as has been stated in the past they are very likely to do) not to mention it has been reported BSF/ITBP are interested in the Super HERC along with IAF who will undoubtedly got for more over and above the 12 figure.

 

[sancho]

Looks like an attractive offer and it could be interesting if ICG go for the HERC also (not in MPA role but maritime role like with USCG as has been stated in the past they are very likely to do) not to mention it has been reported BSF/ITBP are interested in the Super HERC along with IAF who will undoubtedly got for more over and above the 12 figure.

USCG uses the even smaller version of the Airbus C295, the C235, while BSF has evaluated the C295 against the C27J. The Super Herc is too big for this light utility or MPA role, that's why smaller and more cost-effective aircrafts would make more sense.

 

[Bobby]

Long live US India Friendship....go for it