Aircraft Equipped With Hamilton Sundstrand NP2000 Propellers

A New York Air National Guard 109th Airlift Wing LC-130 aircraft equipped with Hamilton Sundstrand NP2000 propellers took its first operational flight on Tuesday, September 16, from the unit's base in Scotia, NY. The aircraft is the first of 12 New York Air National Guard C-130s planned for retrofit with Hamilton Sundstrand NP2000 propellers.

The 109th Airlift Wing will fly the NP2000-equipped LC-130 on a mission to Antarctica in November. The 109th Airlift Wing flies US Air Force's only ski-equipped LC-130s, which are capable of operating off polar snows and ice as well as from conventional and unimproved runways. The 109th's missions include support of scientific research on the Greenland icecap and in Antarctica and Aeromedical Evacuation from front-line combat zones and remote emergency sites worldwide.

The New York Air National Guard LC-130's first operational flight with NP2000 propellers follows a five-month flight test program in which NP2000 propellers were installed on a Wyoming Air National Guard C-130. The results showed NP2000 propellers provide similar aircraft handling and offer better performance than 54H60 propellers. The NP2000 propellers reduce external and cabin noise, lower vibration, and offer better reliability while reducing fuel consumption. Hamilton Sundstrand's NP2000 propeller system has also performed successfully in previous flight tests on a Snow Aviation, Inc. C-130E. The US Navy has realized these benefits as it currently employs the NP2000 on its fleet of E-2C Hawkeye aircraft (below).

"After a year of successfully flying our electronic propeller control upgrade on this LC-130, we are pleased to see the benefits of propeller modernization begin for this operational unit," said Robert Schechtman, business development manager of Hamilton Sundstrand's propulsion business. "The NP2000 propeller system brings many benefits to C-130 users including shorter take-off roll, improved climb, quieter operations, and lower operating and support costs."

FMI: www.hamiltonsundstrandcorp.com, www.dmna.state.ny.us/ang/nyang.php