TSAMTO, April 15. Poland's Foreign Ministry has signed an agreement with the US government for the supply of five BTA C-130H "Hercules" aircraft from the US Air Force under the "Surplus Military Equipment" (EDA) program.
This was announced on April 14 by the Minister of National Defense of Poland Mariusz Blaszczak on his Twitter page.
The aircraft will enter service with units stationed at the 33rd Transport Aviation Base (Powidz) and will expand the capabilities of the Polish Armed Forces for cargo transportation. The first C-130H is expected to be delivered by the end of 2021. Delivery of all aircraft should be completed by mid-2024,
Military equipment under the EDA program is usually transferred free of charge, but the recipient assumes the cost of its repair and delivery.
As specified by the Weapons Inspectorate of the Polish Ministry of Defense, the supply agreement was signed on April 12. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs will assume the costs of the aircraft's deconservation, preparation for shipment and delivery in the amount of $ 14.3 million.
According to the EDA program database, the US Department of Defense sent a proposal for the transfer of five C-130H aircraft to Poland in March 2019. Their residual value is estimated at $ 60 million. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a request to the United States for proposals for the supply of "Hercules" in September 2019.
During the subsequent period, negotiations were held on the terms of delivery, the main controversial element of which was the location of the overhaul of the aircraft. The Polish side insisted that the work on the repair of the C-130H be carried out at the Wojskowe Zaklady Lotnicze No. 2 (Bydgoszcz), which received the necessary competencies and certificates for the repair of C-130E aircraft. As a result, it was decided that the work on the repair, maintenance and retrofitting of the Hercules aircraft will be carried out in Poland.
Currently, the 309th Air Force Aircraft Storage and Recovery Group (AMARG, a/b "Davis-Monthan", Arizona) has about 60 C-130H aircraft at its disposal. The oldest of them was released in 1974, and the most "fresh" - in 1993. The C-130H aircraft transferred to the Polish Air Force were produced in 1985 and withdrawn from service with the US Air Force in 2017.
Currently, the Polish Air Force operates five C-130E "Hercules" aircraft, also received from the US Air Force during 2009-2012. Presumably, the C-130H will not replace these aircraft, but will be operated jointly with them.
