US wanted to re-equip the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft into a seaplane that resembles Russian BE-200 “Altair”, writes Popular Mechanics.
Magazine writes that a similar aircraft will have a large capacity and range, and will also allow work on the sea, in particular, with submarines. The publication reminds that the military in the United States after the withdrawal of P5M Marlin from operation in the 1950s did not use the hydrosapolines for decades.
“In any future conflict, the most important fields of battles will be waterways, such as South China, Okhotsk, Baltic and Yellow Sea and the Persian Bay. The seaplane would help prevent such conflicts if potential opponents knew that American Commandos could enter into And get out of controversial waters, “says the magazine.
According to the publication, currently, in addition to Russia, such a technique produces China, which has, in particular, the AG600 seaplane.
In July 2020, the world’s largest operating seaplane AG600 successfully completed its first flight over the sea.
In September 2019, Izvestia reported, referring to the sources in the Ministry of Defense of Russia and the aviation industry, that the navy of the country will receive A-42 (A-40) “Albatross”, designed to detect and track enemy submarine, and Also carrying rescue work during a storm.