The United States is transferring a C-130H Hercules aircraft to Romania / The aircraft will be handed over on October 14

The United States government will transfer a C-130H Hercules military aircraft to Romania free of charge, from the category of excess defense equipment. The handover ceremony will take place on October 14 at the Otopeni 90th Air Transport Base, the Ministry of National Defense announced on Tuesday.

The aircraft will be added to the inventory of the Romanian Air Force and can be used for air transport, medical evacuation, humanitarian missions and disaster response. The transfer strengthens Romania’s airlift capacity, as the C-130 Hercules, alongside the C-27J Spartan, represents the main means of supporting troops deployed in operational theaters and responding to emergency situations.

The Romanian Air Force currently operates eight C-130 Hercules aircraft: four C-130Bs and four C-130Hs. One of the H-model aircraft has been withdrawn from service and placed in storage.

The first Romanian C-130B arrived in the country on October 25, 1996, and the first foreign mission was carried out in 1997. Romanian aircraft subsequently took part in international exercises and humanitarian missions in Europe, Asia and Africa. More than 50 countries use this type of aircraft, one of the most widespread military transport aircraft in the world.