IAF: Samson will Replace the Rhino
Shevat 19, 5771, 24 January 11 06:51
by Gil Ronen(Israelnationalnews.com)
Shimshon C-130J
IAF Website
They are known as "Hercules" in the U.S. and as "Karnaf," Hebrew for "rhinoceros," in the IAF. Now the veteran cargo planes are being upgraded from the C-130 to the C-130J model, and the IAF has decided to name the new version after biblical hero Shimshon (Samson).
The choice of "Shimshon" is a meaningful moment in the history of IAF plane names, Major Alon explained on the IAF website. In honoring a biblical Israelite hero, it breaks with the IAF tradition of naming planes for birds, animals or natural phenomena like storms, lightning and thunder. Maj. Alon, Deputy Commander of the Atalef (Bat) Squadron, was put in charge of choosing the new name by the Nevatim Air Force Base.
The name, he said, "was chosen because Shimshon is the biblical parallel of Hercules from Greek mythology, after whom the plane is named in English."
Other finalists in the naming process were "Pereh" (wild donkey) and "Shor" (bull)."The competition was tough and close until the last moment," Maj. Alon recounts. "But in the end, we reached agreement and a new name was chosen."
The new C-130J reaches higher speeds than the regular Karnaf, Maj. Moshe, Project Officer in Plane Planning Department, told the IAF website. "It can reach a greater range, carry a heavier payload and reach higher altitudes. A variety of assignments can be executed in a better fashion and with less planes than were needed in the past."
The Shimshon boasts advanced digital systems. "This is a meaningful and radical change," Maj. Moshe explained. "We are going from the old age of transport planes and leaping several generations forward."
While resembling the C-130 on the outside, the C-130J (Shimshon) is a completely different plane on the inside. The wiring systems, avionics, steering and wings have all been replaced with newer and more sophisticated systems containing advanced technologies. There are currently 200 such planes operating worldwide, in the air fores of the U.S., Britain, Australia and Canada, among other countries.
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