Citizens have been questioning why in this fire seasonone of the most voracious in recent years, Hercules C-130 aircraft have not been used which were one of the purchases that Defense Minister Javier García announced with fanfare at the time. The ships, in fact, were bought on the grounds that they were going to be used to fight forest fires, among other uses.
After the arrival of the airplanes, which were retired by the Spanish army (where they were purchased), the fact that 30 cardboard boxes were purchased to collect water from the “El Guardian” system was discussed, to be used in the airplanes. Hercules C-130 (authorized by a presidential resolution in January 2022). Those boxes cost $41,630.
To add more facts to the controversy over these planes, information about the use of these planes by civilians began to circulate on social networks: next February 1, one of the Hercules would be used in a parachute jumping event called Tandem jump, organized by the company tandem jump.
The Crónicas del Este portal contacted the Salto Tándem company, and from there they confirmed that These are the planes acquired by the government of Luis Lacalle Pou to, supposedly, modernize the army.
Tandem jump on a state plane
The company promotes the experience as a 20-minute panoramic flight to reach 3,000 meters high. From there, paying participants will enjoy a 35-second free fall at about 220 kilometers per hour. After opening the parachute, the descent is about 7 additional minutes. The jump is in Punta del Este.
The cost of this tourist experience is $6,200 and, if they want to be filmed, an additional $1,100. To reserve the day, people must sign with at least $1,800, which is not refundable if the person decides not to jump or not show up.
The maximum weight of the participants is 95 kilograms in men and 85 kilograms in women (they cannot do it pregnant).
Flights may be canceled due to weather conditions and rescheduled for another day.
The C-130 Hercules aircraft is a military model of transport aircraft produced by Lockheed Martin. They have been used by numerous air forces around the world since 1956. With its cargo and troop transport capabilities, as well as its reliability and versatility in combat and non-combat missions, the Hercules has become one of the most successful and widely used military aircraft around the world. In the case of Uruguay, these aircraft were acquired to provide support to firefighters in the prevention and response to forest fires, but their use in other events such as Tandem Jump shows the versatility of this aircraft.
