The Netherlands has picked Embraer’s C-390 tactical airlift aircraft over Lockheed Martin’s C-130J. The Dutch will buy five C-390s to replace four second-generation C-130H Hercules transports. Lockheed Martin had entered its current C-130J in the two-aircraft competition. The country was looking for an off-the-shelf replacement for the 30-year-old Hercs, and it set some performance parameters that both aircraft met.
Interesting that customer sees the 390 as more reliable than the 130J.
Certainly Hercs left much to be desired in the 1970s, Pacific Western made many mods especially for High Arctic operations. (Never mind the blather about the Herc being proven in cold climates.) Subsequently more mods were made by heavy maintenance contractors for Allied military operations.
There was a serious problem in the 1970s of Lockheed-Georgia depending on military funding to develop reliability improvements but US military had warehouses full of spares that I wondered how they would get to the front line to rescue an airplane. Failure to ‘integrate’ in thinking.
I will happily ride a large twin across oceans based on the zillions of hours of proof that the ETOPS rule change was reasonable. And I know that lower hourly costs will mean more things get done. But there is that gut preference for 4 engines in harsh or contested environments. Maybe OEI it will fly like a 757. And some US kit is kinda excessive I guess. Maybe that skews my expectations.