The US government announced on 2 June that it had approved sustainment services for Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport aircraft on behalf of Vietnam. The notification was significant, since the Vietnam People’s Air Force (VPAF) does not currently operate any Hercules platform.
This notice by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) therefore indicates that Hanoi is planning to procure second-hand C-130s, possibly C-130Hs or early C-130Js, to increase its airlift capacity.
The sustainment deal, estimated to cost US$100 million, is being conducted under the Foreign Military Sales process. It encompasses engine propellers; aircraft components, parts and accessories; ground handling equipment; spare parts, consumables and accessories; training aids and devices; and unclassified software and publications.
The DSCA remarked, “The proposed sale will improve Vietnam’s strategic airlift capability and disaster/contingency response by ensuring the operational readiness of its C-130 aircraft fleet.”
Of course, the VPAF does not currently have a C-130 fleet, so an announcement on this is expected in due course. The main contractor for this sustainment effort will be Lockheed Martin.
The VPAF has a very limited air transport fleet, currently comprising three NC-212i aircraft delivered by PTDI in Indonesia, and three Airbus C295 medium transports. The addition of C-130s, likely in limited numbers, would nonetheless greatly enhance the ability of the Vietnamese air force to move cargo and troops, particularly to austere locations and to the country’s South China Sea outposts.
It is also important because Vietnam is deliberately broadening its sources of military equipment away from almost total dependence on the Soviet Union and Russia in the past. A first step in this direction was a deal with the USA for a dozen Beechcraft T-6C Texan II trainer aircraft purchased in 2021.
The final batch of these T-6Cs arrived in Vietnam on 22 September last year. Chuck Gummow of Textron Aviation Defense told Asian Military Review in 2024 that his company was honoured to be the first American firm to achieve a significant defence sale to Vietnam. He believed additional T-6C sales were a realistic possibility too.
Vietnam has routinely been linked to a potential Hercules deal, and the US Air Force even despatched a C-130J to the VIDEX 2024 exhibition in Hanoi as part of a marketing push.
by Gordon Arthur
