Lockheed
Martin, at the Farnborough International Airshow, has announced that the
worldwide C-130J Super Hercules fleet recently surpassed 3 million flight
hours. With 545+ Super Hercules delivered worldwide, this achievement reflects
the C-130J’s unmatched global reach, multi-mission versatility and proven
tactical performance capabilities.
Operators and crews from 21 nations
contributed to this achievement, logging hours through 18 different mission
requirements including combat, transport, aerial refueling, Special Operations,
medevac, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, weather reconnaissance,
firefighting and commercial freight delivery.
"From the highest landing strip
in the world to the snow packed runways of Antarctica and all the many mission
locations in between, these 3 million hours represent the proven power and wide
reaching presence of the C-130J’s global fleet,” stated Rod McLean, vice
president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Air Mobility & Maritime
Missions line of business. “In celebrating this achievement, we also honour the
many crew members, maintainers and airlift partners who truly keep the global
Super Hercules fleet ready for any and every mission requirement.”
3 million
hours by the numbers
· These hours were logged beginning
with the C-130J's first flight on 5 April 1996, through the beginning of July
2024.
· Countries with C-130Js contributing
to these flight hours include (in order of delivery) the United Kingdom, United
States (the USAF, Marine Corps and Coast Guard; Pallas Aviation), Australia,
Italy, Denmark, Norway, Canada, India, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Tunisia, Israel,
Kuwait, South Korea, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, France, Bahrain, Bangladesh,
Indonesia and Germany.
· Also contributing to these flight
hours is the Lockheed Martin Flight Operations team, whose crews are the first
to fly every C-130J produced, and the US Air Force Defence Contract Management
Agency crews that support C-130J test flights at Lockheed Martin's Aeronautics
site in Marietta, Georgia, home of Super Hercules production line.
· Super Hercules variants used to log
these hours include: C-130J and C-130J-30 (tactical airlifter), KC-130J
(tanker), WC-130J (weather reconnaissance), EC-130J (information operations),
MC-130J (Special Operations), HC-130J (search and rescue, US Air Force and US
Coast Guard variants), AC-130J (gunship) and LM-100J (commercial freighter).
· Hours flown include test, training
and operational missions on all seven continents.
Always evolving, continually
innovating and ready for what's next, the Super Hercules leads the charge by
setting standards and shaping the future of tactical airlift missions, offering
a multitude of advantages found in no other medium-sized tactical airlifter in
production or operation today.
These discriminators include proven
operational readiness with the greatest ease of transition, increased
reliability, superior tactical airlift and combat airdrop capabilities,
certification by more than 20 airworthiness authorities, and engine-out
performance with extended range. The C-130J also delivers unmatched
interoperability with NATO and global air forces, robust industrial
partnerships and verified low life-cycle costs with significant fuel savings
resulting in a reduced carbon footprint compared to other medium-sized jet
airlifters.
Courtesy:
Lockheed martin
Photos:
C-130J of the IAF at Aero India 2023 by Vayu Aerospace Review