Through Ministerial Resolution No. 031-21-DE, the Peruvian Ministry of Defense made available the 35 million dollars that will allow the Air Force to incorporate 2 Lockheed KC-130H Hercules, which were recently decommissioned by the Spanish Air Force (Ejército del Aire – EdA).
As we anticipated in September last year, the EdA was decommissioning its fleet of Hercules transport aircraft, in favor of the modern A400M, and Peru rushed to reserve 2 units of the in-flight refueling variant.
The KC-130H acquired by Peru, like the Uruguayan units (which are already operational), are aircraft with many years of loyal service on top, but in the 2000s they underwent a deep modernization and lifespan extension which, in addition to the excellent maintenance received during its operational life in Spain, transforms these Hercules into a more than interesting prospect considering the long remainder of flight hours ahead of them.
Currently, the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) has only 2 planes of the Hercules family, the L-100, which are the civil variant of the C-130, less capable than the military version. And since the deprogramming of its Boeing 707s almost two decades ago, the FAP has no in-flight refueling capability.
The incorporation of these aircraft not only reinforces the FAP’s tactical and strategic airlift capabilities, but also allows it to regain the ability to extend the range of its fighter-bombers through in-flight refueling.
The crews and technical staff of the FAP have been taking training courses in Spain since last November. The new FAP KC-130Hs are expected to arrive in Peru by the end of the month.
