Last flight of Belgian Hercules CH-10

Last flight of Belgian Hercules CH-10.

On December 21st, 2018; the Belgian Lockheed C-130H Hercules with registration CH-10 made its very final flight. After this flight, the aircraft was withdrawn from use (wfu).

In a couple of years, all Belgian C-130s will be replaced by Airbus A400M aircraft. And because the aircraft were used extensively since their introduction in the 1970s, some airframes reached the economical and structural end-of-life.

In December 2017, airframe CH-08 was wfu and on December 21st 2018, airframe CH-10 was wfu as well. Both airframes will be used to supply parts/engines for the remaining Hercules in the fleet and in the end the airframes will be scrapped.

Operationally, the Belgian Air Force will remain at strength with the remaining aircraft and with the sharing capacity of the European Air Transport Command (where 7 European Air Forces share their transport assets) no problems are expected to fulfill the transportation tasks.

7 Airbus A400Ms are ordered by the Belgian Air Force and together with the single A400M ordered by Luxemburg, all 8 aircraft will be based at Melsbroek AB where they will take over the ramps and hangers of the C-130s.

Adjudant Kris Moens, PRO of 15th Transport Wing at Melsbroek AB, made some air-air photos of the departing CH-10 from the ramp of another C-130 during the very last flight of the CH-10 on December 21st 2018.