The Uruguayan Air Force has welcomed the two KC-130H Hercules transport aircraft it bought from Spain earlier this year.
The two planes took off from Zaragoza, Spain, on December 17 and landed in Montevideo on December 19.
The aircraft will now undergo a modernization process before relieving two C-130B aircraft that were built in the 1960s and acquired by Uruguay in the 1990s. One of the C-130Bs is already grounded while the other is on its final mission to Antarctica.
It is worth noting that with the transport aircraft buy, the Uruguayan Air Force will obtain an aerial refueling capability for the first time ever.
Uruguay is one three buyers of the Spanish Air Force Hercules fleet and is paying 22 million euros for the two airframes, according to local reports. In addition to Uruguay, Peru bought two units for 25 million euros, while the remaining six aircraft were bought by US company Blue Aerospace.
Spain sold off its Hercules fleet after almost 50 years of operations. The country is replacing the Lockheed Martin-built aircraft with 14 new A400M airlifters, which Airbus will deliver by 2022.
