The Bangladesh Air Force Receives The Last Ex-RAF C-130J Super Hercules Aircraft
The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) recently received the last of five C-130J Super Hercules aircraft purchased from the UK Ministry of Defense in 2018 and 2019 as part of the “Force Target 2030” program, which began in 2009. The delivery, which represents a significant milestone in the country’s long-term investment in its sovereign air transport capacity, was marked by a ceremony at Marshall Aerospace and Defense Group’s headquarters in Cambridge, which is in charge of upgrading the aircraft for the BAF following their decommissioning from the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) fleet. The event was attended by representatives from the Bangladesh High Commission in London, the Bangladesh Air Force, and company executives.
Speaking at the ceremony, Saida Muna Tasneem, Bangladesh’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland, expressed her pleasure in presiding over a proud moment for the entire Bangladesh Air Force, saying, “The work performed here in Cambridge will directly support us in fulfilling our operational commitments for decades to come, and I would like to thank the Marshall team for their expertise and commitment. The BAF-Marshall relationship perfectly exemplifies the collaborative spirit and commitment to shared interests that underpin the growing UK-Bangladesh defence relationship.”
Bob Baxter, Marshall’s Chief Growth Officer, added by saying, “It has been a privilege to partner with the Bangladesh Air Force over the last six years as they have created a world-leading tactical airlift capability. Fielding these five C-130J Super Hercules aircraft with a range of sophisticated upgrades will ensure the BAF’s mission-readiness to support UN peace-keeping and humanitarian missions around the world, and this is something we are proud to have contributed to.”
Following the handover ceremony, the fifth ex-RAF C-130J left the UK for a ferry flight to Dhaka’s Bangabandhu airbase, as was the case for the four other aircraft of the same type that entered service in 2019, 2020, and 2022. The ferry mission, managed by the Bangladesh Air Force Overseas Air Operations Directorate, lasted two days and included fuel and crew breaks for the BAF team in Turkey and Oman.
Significantly increasing the global reach and operational capability of the Bangladesh Air Force, these C-130Js will be used to transport troops and equipment, provide humanitarian aid, and for UN peacekeeping missions both at home and abroad, thanks to capability enhancements such as avionics upgrades, provision of medical evacuation and passenger transport configurations implemented by Marshall. These modernized aircraft will also support BAF’s fleet of Lockheed C-130B Hercules, An-32 and L-410UVP-200 aircraft.
Despite having delivered all five aircraft to the BAF, Marshall Aerospace and Defense Group will continue to provide technical services to the south Asian country, such as engineering support, supply chain and logistics management, spare parts supply, and training, according to the intergovernmental agreement signed by Bangladeshi and British officials. In addition, Marshall intends to deliver additional modifications to Bangladesh in the near future.