Elbit's upgraded Israeli C-130H completes first flight test

HAIFA, Israel, July 20 (UPI) -- A C-130H Hercules transport aircraft upgraded for the Israeli air force by Elbit Systems recently completed its first flight test, the company announced.

The initial successful test is the first in a series slated for the coming months, Elbit said in a statement.

The flight tests, performed day and night under a variety of altitudes and conditions, demonstrated "out of the window" flight, where a live video is relayed to a heads-up display, offering flight and navigation data overlaying the real world via 2D and 3D symbols.

Airborne refueling was also demonstrated, Elbit said.

The modernization project started in 2012 and extends the aircraft's operational life while improving precision flying, low-level night flight and bad weather operations.

It also replaces obsolete analog systems with digital arrays, Elbit said.