The RCAF is robbing wheel assemblies from its legacy fleet of C-130H aircraft to keep its frontline C-130J aircraft flying according to a National Post report. The Air Force has been having trouble getting parts from Lockheed Martin so it’s gone to cannibalizing the older aircraft to keep the new ones ready. The J models are the main tactical transports for the RCAF while the H models are relegated to tasks like search and rescue. An Air Force spokesman told the Post the dodge has worked so far and “so far, parts availability has not had any impact on operations.”
The RCAF is working with Lockheed Martin to boost support for the fleet of 17 J models, which began service in Canada in 2010. “Parts with long lead times, as well as an increase in the number of deployed aircraft supported overseas, have resulted in aircraft being offline longer than desired,” the spokesman said.