The Budget Committee of the Deutschen Bundestages (the legislative arm of the German Parliament) has invested in equipping its future C-130J Super Hercules fleet with missile approach warning systems (MAWS).
The investment – worth roughly €27m – will equip the Luftwaffe’s (German Air Force’s) future fleet of six Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules heavy-lift tactical transports with a modern MAWS. The funding will also provide modern options for data exchange between the aircraft and ground forces.
Announced on March 4, the Deutschen Bundestages stated that the upgrade was part of another big step for the modernisation of the Bundeswehr (German armed forces). It stated that acquiring new, state-of-the-art MAWS will provide “the best possible protection of the aircraft and its crew during operation.”
![C-130J [USAF/SSgt Kyle Johnson] #1](/sites/default/files/inline-images/2000x1335_q95.jpg)
It added that “the installation of a modern collision warning system takes into account the recently changed legal framework in aviation. The Ministry of Defense has therefore asked the Federal Ministry of Finance for an unscheduled commitment [authorisation] so that the procurement contract for six C-130Js can be changed. The Budget Committee has raised the necessary cost ceiling for the contract.”
The German government green lit its acquisition of six Super Hercules transports in April 2017. The delivery will consist of three C-130J-30s and three KC-130J tanker/transport aircraft, which will be operated by a joint Franco-German unit alongside the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) based from Evreux air base, France. Germany’s procurement of the aircraft was approved by the US State Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) in May 2018.
