Ten C-130Js would retire Taiwan's oldest Hercules as the US starts work on the request

The United States has formally accepted Taiwan's letter of request for 10 new C-130J transport aircraft and has begun work on it, military sources in Taipei said on Monday, 26 October, according to the China Daily News. The purchase, which runs under the code name Taiwushan 3, is now going through the regular US foreign military sales process, and the air force aims to complete its own case-building procedures by 31 May 2027 so that money can be budgeted from 2028.

Public broadcaster PTS also reported that Washington had received the letter of request and that the military hopes to finish preparing the case next year and start funding it in the 2028 budget. The plan has not yet been approved by the US government, and Taiwan still needs Washington to agree to the sale, the Meihua News report noted.

An ageing fleet

Taiwan's air force flies 20 C-130H transports plus one aircraft converted for electronic warfare. The first batch of 12 left the factory in 1984 and has been in service for more than 40 years, and some of its parts are no longer being made, according to the China Daily News. PTS reported that the oldest aircraft, serial 1301, has reached 40 years of service, while the youngest, 1320, is approaching 30.

The eight aircraft bought in the second and third batches average about 30 years old and have roughly 15 years of life left, the China Daily News reported. Once the new aircraft arrive, the air force plans to retire the oldest airframes first. Meihua News reported that the 10 C-130Js would replace 10 old C-130Hs in stages, and that the remaining 10 would not receive the upgrade that had once been planned for the whole fleet.

From upgrade to new aircraft

The air force had planned to spend more than NT$10 billion over six years upgrading all 20 C-130Hs with an integrated cockpit, better maritime search and rescue equipment and a simulator, Meihua News reported. The US quote proved too high and the schedule did not offer value for money, and the defence ministry told the legislature in June that the upgrade had been stopped in favour of buying new aircraft, according to both outlets.

Officials considered a direct commercial purchase to avoid the complexity of foreign military sales, but decided to follow the formal government-to-government route, the reports said. The China Daily News added that some experts inside the military had questioned whether the fleet should stay at 20 aircraft, but the air force concluded that long-range resupply of outlying islands such as Taiping Island in the Spratlys and Pratas still requires it.

Hangars and delays

The defence ministry is also preparing places to keep the aircraft. In a report to the legislature, the ministry said it plans to spend about NT$3.56 billion between 2026 and 2030 on three double maintenance hangars and one double alert hangar for the C-130 fleet, which has mostly been parked in the open for more than 30 years, the Liberty Times reported on 28 October. The newspaper said the hangars are meant to be ready to receive the new aircraft when they are completed by 2030.

Whether the schedule holds depends on Washington. PTS noted that the ministry's latest report to the legislature lists three of 24 US arms sale cases as delayed: F-16V fighters, Mk 48 heavyweight torpedoes and AGM-154C Joint Standoff Weapons.