Hercules joins MAXIMUS AIR CARGO fleet.

Abu Dhabi, 25 June 2007 (tjb) - After a successful check-flight, detailed inspections and thorough examination by UAE’s “General Civil Aviation Authority” (GCAA) the Abu Dhabi based all cargo operator MAXIMUS AIR CARGO has phased into commercial service its 1^st A6 i.e. UAE registered Lockheed Hercules L-382 turboprop transport.

Only a few aircraft have earned the description "legendary." However, the Lockheed L-100, named "Hercules" from the mythical Greek hero renowned for his great strength, has become a true, real-world legend. In truth, there is no airlift mission the Lockheed Hercules has not flown.

The Lockheed L-382 joining MAXIMUS AIR CARGO is the stretched civilian variant of the military use C-130 model. What makes this medium-range aircraft truly unique is the fact that the L-382 Hercules is capable to operate from unprepared runways, i.e. from rough, dirt strips on less than 1,200 meters of takeoff run.

Using its aft loading ramp and door, the L-382 can accommodate a wide variety of oversized cargo, including everything from utility helicopters and six wheeled vehicles to standard palletized cargo and personnel. With a full 15-foot (4.6m) fuselage stretch over its original design, the L-382 model offers a payload of 88 m3 (259 cu ft) and 41,800 pounds (18,960 kgs).

The C-130 aircraft model, originally designed as a military transport in the 1950s, was adapted for a variety of missions, including search and rescue (SAR), aerial refueling of helicopters, weather mapping and reconnaissance, surveillance, aerial fire fighting, oil spill intervention missions, aerial spraying, scientific research support, Arctic/Antarctic ice re-supply and natural disaster relief missions. The Hercules can also be committed for airdrops of equipment and low altitude parachuted delivery of heavy cargoes. The Hercules family has the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft in history. During more than 50 years of service the family has participated in military, civilian and humanitarian aid operations. More than 2,300 of the type have been built, and they are flown in more than 70 variations.

The 1985 built MAXIMUS AIR CARGO L-382 has undergone a major upgrade that includes new, fully integrated digital avionics, state-of-the-art navigation systems, improved fuel, environmental and ice protection systems and last but not least an enhanced cargo handling system.

MAXIMUS AIR CARGO’s L-382, equipped with 4 Allison Rolls-Royce Turbo-Prop 510-D22A powerplants, offers a range of 2,090 miles (3,365 km) and has a fully-pressurized cargo hold; its special onboard equipment includes rollers in the floor of the cargo compartment to enable quick and easy handling of cargo pallets, which can be removed to leave a flat surface, if needed. Notably, the ramp can also be lowered to the ground for loading and unloading of wheeled vehicles or leveled at truck-bed height above the ground to swiftly on- and offload its cargo with by utilizing the integral "roll on/roll off" rear loading ramp.

“The introduction of the Lockheed Hercules freighter to our fleet completes MAXIMUS AIR CARGO’s portfolio of all-cargo aircraft with increased capability to offer reliable short notice solutions for virtually any cargo aircraft requirement”, said Fathi Hilal Buhazza, President and Chief Executive Officer of MAXIMUS AIR CARGO.

Buhazza further added that MAXIMUS AIR CARGO’s scope of activities is increasingly tied to regional & international special operations, and, with the Lockheed Hercules L-382 aircraft addition, the all cargo operator will take a further leap becoming a global player and fully fledged international logistics solution provider.

Maximus’s President and CEO also pointed out that while earlier Hercules models continue to provide reliable, go-anywhere service as they were designed and built to do, this particular L-382 is ready to meet special mission requirements and the increased performance standards of the 21st century.

MAXIMUS AIR CARGO with its Headquarters in the UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi is the largest all cargo airline in the UAE and premier operator of outsized cargo aircraft in the Middle East. Established in 2005, the company with its highly experienced 106 member strong workforce is focusing on providing first class service in air transport solutions to Royalty, governments, multinationals, humanitarian & relief organisations alike. MAXIMUS AIR CARGO owns and operates a total of 8 specialized all cargo aircraft around the globe, namely Antonov AN-124-100 Ruslan, Airbus A300-600RF, Ilyushin IL-76TD Candid and Lockheed L-382 Hercules.