The second of five US C-130H Hercules transport aircraft landed in Poland on Monday afternoon, Armaments Agency spokesman Krzysztof Platek wrote on social media on Tuesday.
On Tuesday, the spokesman of the Armament Agency Krzysztof Platek tweeted that “on October 17 this year, in the afternoon, the second of the five contracted C-130H Hercules aircraft with the tail number 85-0036 landed at Bydgoszcz airport. It will go to the 33rd Transport Aviation Base in Powidz”.
17 października br. w godzinach popołudniowych w porcie lotniczym w Bydgoszczy wylądował drugi z 5 zakontraktowanych samolotów #C130H #Hercules o numerze bocznym 85-0036. Samolot po przejściu obsługi okresowej PDM w @WZL2_SA trafi do 33 Bazy Lotnictwa Transportowego w Powidzu. pic.twitter.com/XHoZtbXmnA
— Krzysztof Płatek (@krzysztof_atek) October 18, 2022
In April 2021, the Ministry of National Defence signed a contract with the US government for the delivery of 5 used Hercules C-130H aircraft. The first plane landed in Poland in July of this year. Deliveries of the remaining three aircraft should be completed by mid-2024.
As part of the Excess Defense Articles (EDA) programme, the Polish side need only incur the partial cost of necessary refits and preparing the aircraft for the flight from the United States to Poland. The value of the contract is USD 14.3 million, with the value of the five C-130H aircraft alone estimated by the American side at USD 60 million.
The C-130 Hercules transport aircraft have been produced by the American company Lockheed in subsequent versions since the mid-1950s. It is one of the longest-produced aircraft in aviation history. The Hercules transporter is used by the armed forces of over 50 countries.