Digitized C-130 lands at Hickam during test flights

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Carolyn Viss
  • 15th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE, Hawaii --  A Boeing C-130M landed here Aug. 4 while on a tour around the Pacific for an integrated systems evaluation.

Having recently converted from analog to digital avionics systems, the bird and its crew spent eight days flying across international datelines and the equator to ensure all the upgraded systems would operate smoothly.

The Air Force plans to buy 265 of the upgraded C-130s once testing is complete, said Mo Redha, a Boeing avionics technician. The Air Force has already bought and modified three of the birds, which are currently stationed for testing at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.

"Going from analog to digital improves the capabilities of the aircraft," said Dan Wells, a Boeing pilot and former Army Chief Warrant Officer 5, Mohawk, Blackhawk, Cobra, C-12 and CV-22 pilot. "It improves the situational awareness of the pilots and crew, eliminates the need for a navigator, and automated many C-130 missions, including air drops."

The conversion was in line with the Air Force's avionics modernization program to improve sustainment capabilities. Before these upgrades and conversions, the newest C-130, the J model, was the only C-130 with a digital cockpit, said Miguel Alcantara Ribancos, 912th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron production superintendent, Edwards AFB.

Automated station keeping equipment records maintenance data so that crew chiefs know exactly what is going on in the plane, not just what the pilots and crew think is going on, said Wells.

"We have redundant navigation systems in place, which have been added [in case] of a failure," Wells said. "This will also decrease the workload on pilots, make flights safer, and increase overall capabilities."

Additionally, the new systems are compatible with Global Air Traffic Management systems, which means the C-130s can fly through Europe on international systems, reducing time and fuel costs for the Air Force, said Doyle Kim, a Boeing systems engineer.

"We're taking an old aircraft and making it last longer," he said.