rkhanna wrote:
But since you have brought it up. How Many operators of the C-130J (brand new gen of plane and sub sytems) have crashed their plane within months of acquiring them. How many were maintenance issues and pilot error.
and you answer your question with:
But honestly that is not even the issue. If these C-130's were practising SOF insertion / flying their accident rates WILL be higher as they are doing far more dangerous flying.
However, your opinion is yours and mine is mine so lets just agree to disagree.
I think you need to understand something about the IAF, their training regimen is far more arduous and steep than many other AF WW. Its because of two factors - our neighborhood threat perception and secondly, because IAF has limited very high tech platforms and seeks to operationalize the force multipliers asap rather than take a slow and steady route. This means the learning curve will be steep and such accidents may unfortunately occur.
Check out how many hours the Il-78 tankers flew and how surprised international observers were, when IAF deployed them to Alaska for Cope Thunder. Similarly, go back to '71 and you will have IAF veterans reminisce about their non stop Su-7 sorties so much the Russians were shocked, but it came in handy during the war. Back to the present, the IAF Flankers wiped the floor with USAF F-15Cs when latter underestimated the former. At KKD, later in the next tranche of exercises, the F-16 pilots remarked that even senior pilots were still pulling the hours but as flight commanders for tactics in the WSO position.
Net, don't underestimate the IAF. They may have a lot of ageing equipment, and sometimes, limited finances force harsh choices and bad outcomes. But overall, the IAF is a disciplined, serious force which is very strict on processes and doesn't compromise on its training standards.
Within months of getting those C-130s, crews are already training on actual deployment/operational usage. Not slowly ramping up. That is what this accident also reveals. Measured risks are taken and sometimes they don't pan out.
In short, accident or no accident, its likely, in a years time, the entire IAF C-130 fleet will be fully mission ready across a range of criteria. Not slowly ramping up with limited proficiency.