Procurement: Venezuela Cuts Back

Archives

April 8, 2011: Venezuela has reduced its order of Chinese Y-8 transports from twelve to eight. Venezuela is having growing economic problems, and has to cut back somewhere. This all began four months ago when, unable to maintain its American C-130 transports, because of an embargo, Venezuela decided to buy a dozen similar Chinese Y-8 transports. China has been building the Y-8 since the early 1980s. The 54 ton propeller driven Y-8 (which is based on the Russian An-12) can, like the similar American C-130, can carry 20 tons. China only built about a hundred Y-8s over the last 30 years, and sold some to Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Sudan.

The need for Y-8s as transports has resulted in some effort to shift the ECM and AWACs work, that Y-8s now perform, to Boeing 737s. Meanwhile, new uses are being found for the Y-8. One was recently converted to a medical evacuation aircraft, able to carry 39 casualties on stretchers and fifteen able to sit, plus medical personnel.

The most common version of the C-130 is the 70 ton C-130H. It has a range of 8,368 kilometers, a top speed of 601 kilometers per hour, and can carry up to 18 tons of cargo, 92 troops, or 64 paratroopers. The latest version, the 79 ton C-130J, has a top speed of 644 kilometers, 40 percent more range than the C130H, and can carry 20 tons of cargo. The C-130 has been in service for over half a century, over 2,300 have been built and it is used by more than 50 countries.

 

X

ad

Help Keep Us From Drying Up

We need your help! Our subscription base has slowly been dwindling.

Each month we count on your contribute. You can support us in the following ways:

  1. Make sure you spread the word about us. Two ways to do that are to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
  2. Subscribe to our daily newsletter. We’ll send the news to your email box, and you don’t have to come to the site unless you want to read columns or see photos.
  3. You can contribute to the health of StrategyPage.
Subscribe   contribute   Close