Hamilton Sundstrand has confirmed that it is about to complete a five-month flight test certification programme on its eight-bladed NP2000 propellers, designed to improve performance on the US Air Force C-130 fleet.
The NP2000 propeller system has performed successfully in previous flight tests on a Snow Aviation C-130E aircraft and the US Navy currently employs the NP2000 on its fleet of E-2C Hawkeye aircraft.
If all flights are successful, the NP2000 will be certified for use on existing C-130s, leading to a retrofit program of aircraft flying with the Hamilton Sundstrand 54H60 propeller system. Once certified, the company says it will bring benefits such as shorter take-off roll, improved climb, quieter operations, and lower operating and support costs.