New Delhi: India is about to clinching a $ 1 billion deal for six C130J cargo aircraft also known as the Super Hercules.
The Bush administration has asked Congress for permission to sell the aircraft to India - a standard procedure.
The Super Hercules built by Lockheed Martin is the latest in that aircraft series. Each aircraft is priced at around $80 million and the final Indian order may go upto 12.
The Super Hercules can perform multiple functions from transport and medical evacuation to a special forces role.
It can take off from short runaways and even dirt strips. This is potentially the single largest Indian purchase from the US.
Earlier the Indian navy acquired the American landing dock USS Trenton, which will give it an amphibious capability.
Capable of short takeoffs and landings from unprepared runways and dirt tracks, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation and cargo transport aircraft.
But the latest model that India will purchase will be a souped up version of the Super Hercules, capable of multiple functions.
Much of the special mission equipment added to the Hercules is removable, allowing the aircraft to revert back to its cargo delivery role if desired.
The C-130J is currently being used by American and allied forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In addition to the basic aircraft frames and equipment, India is also said to have asked for four Rolls Royce AE 2100D3 spare engines; eight AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems; eight AN/ALR-56M Advanced Radar Warning Receivers; eight AN/ALE-47 Counter-Measures Dispensing Systems; eight AAQ-22 Star SAFIRE III Special Operations Suites.
(With agency inputs)
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