Reducing C130E Hercules Operating Costs in the Royal Australian Air Force and the United States Air Force by Increasing Cruise Speeds
Abstract
The purpose of this research study was to examine a proposal to reduce C130E Hercules operating costs in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF) by increasing cruise speeds. The current fuel conservation policies in the RAAF and USAF do not consider the effect of the policy on aircraft operating costs. RAAF C130E cost data were found to be invalid. The study quantified major differences in the depot servicing, contract servicing, and in-house servicing for RAAF C130E and C130H Hercules aircraft. The study suggests that the RAAF should improve the accuracy of C130E cost data to allow a valid assessment of the operating costs over the aircraft life cycle. The variable maintenance costs were found to be more than double the hourly fuel costs. Flight Manual data and mission profile data were used to show that the USAF could save $94,613 to $1,979,227(US) in 1989 by flying selected missions at 290 knots instead o 280 knots true airspeed (TAS). The sensitivity of the calculated savings to changes in fuel and maintenance prices was also examined. The study concludes that USAF C130E operating costs can be reduced by increasing cruise speeds. The study recommends that the USAF introduce 290 knots TAS cruise procedures immediately because of the reduction in operating costs and because there are no implementation costs. Keywords: Military theses; Cost analysis; Cost per hour. (kt)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1989
- Accession Number
- ADA215747
Entities
People
- Dennis G. Green
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology