The 176-aircraft Air National Guard and U.S. Air Force Reserve Lockheed C-130H Hercules fleet is receiving new Collins Aerospace Systems avionics that will help extend the life of the legacy aircraft by 20 years. Collins and its commercial off-the-shelf Flight2 integrated avionics system was chosen by L3Harris Technologies, Inc. to play a key role in the U.S. Air Force's $499-million C-130H Avionics Modernization Program Increment 2 (AMP INC 2) program.

The H-variant of the C-130 – differentiated by its use of Allison T56-A-15 turboprop engines – was first introduced in 1974. Collins’ contribution to the workhorse C-130H platform will be seven multifunctional displays (MFDs), three control display units (CDUs), and a new digital autopilot that will replace over 100 analog instruments in each of the fleet’s aircraft.

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William Kucinski is content editor at SAE International, Aerospace Products Group in Warrendale, Pa. Previously, he worked as a writer at the NASA Safety Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was responsible for writing the agency’s System Failure Case Studies. His interests include literally anything that has to do with space, past and present military aircraft, and propulsion technology.

Contact him regarding any article or collaboration ideas by e-mail at william.kucinski@sae.org.