The amount earmarked for the purchase of military transport aircraft (sources include $ 14.3 million) includes starting to operate previously decommissioned aircraft and performing necessary maintenance (purchases under the Defense Excess Material Program). Prior to the conclusion of the deal, a Polish-American delegation arrived to assess the condition of the aircraft preserved at Davis Montan Air Force Base (Tucson, Arizona). Select Hercules aircraft were manufactured in 1985, and the US Air Force retired in 2017.
As for the electronic versions that are currently being operated by the Poles, the machines purchased are now 15 years younger. The first re-energized Herculese Poland is expected to arrive from Warsaw later this year, and deliveries of the remaining four parts can be completed by mid-2024. The incoming Herculesek will undergo additional maintenance at Bydgoszcz (WZL 2) prior to installation, In addition to the installation of equipment used in transport aircraft of the Polish Air Force. The aircraft would then be transported to Powidz, their final stop.
Polish operator Hercules: Acquired the first C-130E from the US in 2009 (necessary conversion work was carried out by L-3 Integrated Systems at its plant in Waco, Texas) and the remaining four copies were delivered by September 2011. This acquisition, along with the delivery The machinery, logistical support, and training package cost nearly $ 165 million under the US government’s foreign military financing program. Two more Hercules versions were leased in addition to Poland, but they were no longer with the Polish Air Force. According to a statement from the Ministry of Defense, no decision has yet been made on the retirement of Polish Hercules, who is still in the army.
