Three people were killed when a Portuguese air force Lockheed Martin C-130H tactical transport crashed at Montijo air base on 11 July.
Flight Fleets Analyzer records the destroyed aircraft – tail number 16804 – as having been 38 years old. The loss leaves Portugal with an active fleet of four Hercules, with another in storage, it adds.
The crash highlights the service’s need to acquire a new-generation airlifter. Lisbon had at one point been viewed as a potential buyer of the Airbus Defence & Space A400M, but its interest is now firmly centred on the Embraer KC-390 tanker/transport, with a letter of intent signed to acquire six of the type.
Embraer demonstrated the International Aero Engines V2500-engined twinjet to the Portuguese air force ahead of its debut international appearance at the Farnborough air show.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
