Marshall completes C-130 navigation work for Austrian Air Force

Marshall of Cambridge Aerospace has completed navigational life-extension work on the Austrian Air Force's (AAF's) fleet of three Lockheed Martin C-130K aircraft.

The final aircraft to receive the modifications departed Marshall's Cambridge headquarters on 30 August, following a visit by the Austrian ambassador to the United Kingdom.

The three former RAF C-130Ks will be replaced from 2027 by four Embraer C-390 Millennium transport aircraft.

During their service with the AAF, Marshall has carried out extensive work on the C-130Ks, aiming to address obsolescence and regulatory and operational requirements, including installing a new flight management system (FMS) and night-vision imaging system (NVIS) in 2017.

In 2020 the AAF identified a number of improvements needed to navigation functions and availability, including coupling the GPS landing system sensor unit (GLSSU) approach capability to the flight director/autopilot, changes to the magnetic heading display, display of the computed air release point (CARP) profile on the multifunction display (MFD), display of vertical speed on the integrated secondary flight display (iSFD), and a second bearing pointer on the electronic horizontal situation indicator (EHSI).

Marshall has carried out similar work on the ageing C-130s of other air forces, including a cockpit upgrade for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and an ongoing series of Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) and secondary flight display modifications for the South African Air Force.

In September 2023 the KC-390 won out against the C-130J for the AAF replacement, the Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence citing the Embraer aircraft's greater payload, speed, and range.