Newly acquired IAF aircraft C-130J Super Hercules crashed near Gwalior

The newly-acquired US-made C-130J Super Hercules Special Operations transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed near Gwalior. All the five members of the crew died in the incident.
Recently, India has inducted six C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, which were bought from the US at the cost of around Rs 6000 crore (USD 1.1 billion) three years ago. The per unit cost of the aircraft comes to around Rs 1,000 crore
 IAF’s C-130J Super Hercules aircraft

• Acquired by India in 2010 from the US.
• Used in a major show of stresngth against China when its troops pitched tents in Ladakh’s Daulat Beg Oldie sector in 2013.
• Maximum load of 6 pallets or 74 litters or 16 CDS bundles or 92 combat troops or 64 paratroopers, or a combination of any of these up to the cargo compartment capacity or maximum allowable weight.
• Powered by four Rolls Royce AE2100 engines and Dowty six bladed props which provide the aircraft with tremendous power.
• Can fly at an altitude of 28,000 feet (8,615 meters) with the maximum payload of 42,000 pounds (19,090 kilograms) and has a top speed of 417 mph/362 ktas (Mach 0.59).
• Range at maximum normal payload is 2,071 miles (1,800 nautical miles).
• Equipped with an Infrared Detection Set (IDS) and an air-to-air receiver refueling capability for extended range operations.
• Could perform precision low-level flying, airdrops and landing in blackout conditions.

Self-protection systems and other features are included to ensure aircraft survivability in hostile air defence environments.

Month: Current Affairs - March, 2014