Another former Belgian Air Force (BAF)-operated Lockheed C-130H Hercules tactical transport has been readied for transfer to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and was recently spotted at Melsbroek Air Base – which is co-located at Brussels Airport and home to the 15th Air Transport Wing – awaiting delivery to its new operator.
The C-130H (former BAF serial CH-04, c/n 382-4467) was noted on display in one of the hangars at Melsbroek Air Base on May 28-29, when the installation opened its doors to the public to celebrate 75 years of the 15th Air Transport Wing and to enable visitors to get up close to the BAF’s new Airbus A400M Atlas fleet for the first time. The legacy Hercules, which now wears the colours of the PAF and carries the serial 4467, will be delivered to
Pakistan in the near future but a timeline for this delivery remains unclear.
This ex-Belgian C-130H (former BAF serial CH-04, c/n 382-4467) was spotted at Melsbroek Air Base ahead of its transfer to its new operator, the PAF. Note that the aircraft has already received its Pakistani markings and carries the serial 4467. It remains unclear whether or not the aircraft has already been delivered to Pakistan. Maikel de Vaan
Belgium formally retired its final C-130H
tactical transports in December 2021, after the type had completed 50 years of operational service. Seven of these remaining aircraft were sold with spare parts, propellers, engines and ground support equipment to a consortium consisting of SABENA Aerospace and Blue Aerospace. The former has served as a C-130 Hercules Service Centre since 1977 and is tasked with refurbishing the aircraft, while the latter is the marketing element of the consortium, which sold the entire batch of ex-Belgian C-130Hs to the PAF.
The initial BAF legacy Hercules (formerly CH-12, now 4483) to complete its maiden flight in PAF colours occurred on July 25, 2022, exactly 50 years after the first of a batch of 12 C-130Hs landed at Melsbroek on July 25, 1972. The other six ex-Belgian C-130Hs that will enter Pakistani service include: CH-01 (4455); CH-05 (4470); CH-07 (4476); CH-09 (4479); CH-11 (4482) and CH-12 (4483).
