Three RAF Hercules planes are touring the UK in a flypast to mark the iconic aircraft’s retirement after 60 years in service.
The farewell trip will cover locations of significance to the Hercules service and 47 Squadron.
The trio of C-130s departed Brize Norton at 10:00am, passing locations in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland and will return by 17:05pm.
47 Squadron and the Hercules will continue to deliver on operations supporting UK defence objectives until 30 June, many officials have pleaded against the decision to ditch the trusted aircrafts.
RAF Hercules planes are touring the UK in a flypast to mark the iconic aircraft’s retirement from service
The decision to ditch the aircraft has been condemned by Royal Air Force Chiefs and officials have pleaded against replacing the reliable planes
A map showing where Hercules planes will tour across the UK and Northern Ireland in their farewell flypast
Two former Royal Air Force chiefs and a former Tory defence minister have condemned the decision to ditch the special forces aircraft as ‘perverse’.
In a letter to The Times, signed by other senior ex-commanders, they warned that the removal of the last of the fleet of Hercules planes will leave a ‘capability gap’.
They wrote: ‘Of the many cuts to our armed forces in recent years, one of the most perverse is the disposal of the RAF’s remaining 14 C130 transport aircraft.
‘At a time of great international tension, the decision to remove a proven and effective workhorse is extraordinary.’
The transition to the 22-strong Atlas (A400) fleet and other air mobility aircraft has been ongoing for some time, but officials have raised concerns about the availability of the aircraft.
According to Sky News, internal documents revealed that two-thirds of the A400M fleet are listed as unavailable for flying missions from may.
The first Hercules arrived at aerospace company Marshall’s of Cambridge in December 1966. Since entering RAF service, originally with 242 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Thorney Island, it has operated across the globe in support of UK military and humanitarian relief operations.
Since the decision was made to retire the remaining C-130 Hercules in 2021, the aircraft has been used successfully by the RAF in crisis spots, including the evacuation of Kabul when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021.
Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey was among many officials to speak against the decision.
He said: ‘The Conservatives are failing to secure Britain’s national defence for the future.
‘From the Kabul airlift to the Sudan evacuation, Hercules planes have allowed our troops to rescue thousands of UK nationals from harms’ way.
‘But instead of backing these efforts, the Defence Secretary is scrapping these vital capabilities. Ministers must reboot defence plans now.’
The C-130 Hercules has been used successfully by the RAF in crisis spots, including the evacuation of Kabul when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021.
In February, Air Chief Marshal Michael Wigston, the operational head of the RAF, defended the decision, saying it will allow it to move to ‘modern, better, faster, tactical transport aircraft with a greater payload’.
‘The Hercules has been a magnificent platform, and many people will regret its retirement, because of the service it has given over many decades,’ he said.
‘But by the time the Hercules goes out of service—our final one lands in June—there will be remaining only a few niche capabilities that the Atlas cannot do, and they will be brought into service within a couple of years.’
The Hercules is described as the RAF’s primary tactical transport aircraft and in its current C.Mk 4 and C.Mk 5 versions of the C-130J-30 and C-130J has been the backbone of UK operational tactical mobility tasks since it was brought into service in 1999.
It is frequently employed to operate into countries or regions where there is a threat to aircraft; its performance, tactics and defensive systems make it the ideal platform for such tasks.
The expertise acquired operating the Hercules and its broad range of capabilities will be transitioned across to the other flying platforms in RAF service. This includes Ground support staff (Engineers, Air Operations and Intelligence professions) who will be relocated to similar roles around the RAF.
The aircraft is highly flexible, with the ability to airdrop a variety of stores and paratroopers, and operate from natural surface landing zones, so all crew members must be trained in low-level flying.
The aircraft performs in the same roles at night using night-vision goggles (NVGs), while station keeping equipment (SKE) enables it to remain in formation during poor weather.
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