Australia Retires Last C-130H Hercules Aircraft

The last Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules tactical transport aircraft has been retired by the Royal Australian Air Force after 34 years of service. "The C-130H Hercules has supported defence personnel on operations in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, and provided peacetime and humanitarian service, including evacuating Australians from Cambodia in 1997 and returning injured Australians home from the Bali bombings," says the Department of Defence. Four of the 10 C-130H aircraft are being given to the Indonesian Air Force (with Jakarta refurbishing them) and two will be retained by the RAAF. Australia says it is "investigating disposal options" for the remaining six aircraft, meanwhile minister for defence Stephen Smith was quoted as saying he is open to selling these aircraft to Jakarta. In early August, The Jakarta Post quoted an Indonesian defence ministry spokesman as saying that a deal was in the works for six RAAF C-130Hs that will be retired at the end of 2012.