Off the back of its 2001 contract to modernize the U.S. Air Force’s C-130, Boeing is offering its avionics modernization program (AMP) as a scalable architecture kit to extend the service life of the ubiquitous military transport. According to the company, more than 700 aging C-130s that could benefit from the upgrade are still in service. However, other industry sources say the actual worldwide market for the package would likely be little more than one third of that number, based
on financial costs, available resources and airframe viability.
The initial AMP program for the USAF fleet was intended as a “full boat” comprehensive package, but the available upgrade system was designed to be scalable so customers could have the flexibility to perform the modifications on an incremental basis rather than all at once. There are multiple benefits to the AMP, according to Boeing. These include a digital, all-glass cockpit, night-vision imaging system compliance, and communication navigation surveillance system/air traffic management, which will allow the aircraft to meet civil navigation safety mandates.
