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ockheed Martin Corp has been awarded a contract worth more than $1 billion for 32 C-130J aircraft, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The work is expected to be completed by April 2020, the Department of Defense said in its daily digest of major contract awards. Earlier this year, Lockheed announced that it had reached a verbal agreement with the U.S. Air Force for a five-year contract to build up to 83 C-130J Super Hercules transport planes for the Air Force, Coast Guard and Marine Corps through 2020.

A rescue team found the likely debris of a missing Norwegian military transport aircraft in the Arctic near the top of Sweden's highest mountain on Friday, Swedish officials said. There was no immediate sign of any survivors among the five Norwegian officers who had been aboard. The Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules transport craft lost contact with air traffic controllers at 1353 GMT on Thursday in high winds and snow as it took part in a 15-nation military exercise organised by Norway. After a frustrating air and ground search by Swedish, Danish and Norwegian rescue teams, an aircraft crew spotted apparent...

Norway has launched a search and rescue mission for a Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules transport with five crew members aboard that went missing about 15:50 local time on 15 March. A Westland Sea King helicopter from Bodo air base and a Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft from Andoya air base are searching the C-130's last known position, according to the Rescue Coordination Centre of North Norway. Danish military helicopters have also been assigned to the activity, the Norwegian armed forces says in a statement. The C-130J was last reported on radar slightly west of Kiruna in northern Sweden at...

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force (IAF) is set to acquire six more C-130J Super Hercules special operations aircraft in addition to the six already ordered. The IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, told India Strategic defence magazine (www.indiastrategic.in) that the aircraft had performed well in the recent earthquake relief operations in north-eastern India and that the IAF would utilize the multi-role capability of the aircraft as required. The C-130J can land and take off from unpaved, grassy fields the size of a football ground and can be a big support in both peace and war to...

After four decades, the Indian Air Force (IAF) Saturday inducted an American origin aircraft, the C-130J 'Super Hercules' transport plane, augmenting its special operations capability. Defence Minister A K Antony formally commissioned the aircraft into the newly formed 77 Squadron of the IAF by handing over the keys of the aircraft to Unit Commanding Officer (CO) Group Captain Tejbeer Singh at Hindon air base near here. "C-130J will help the IAF to maintain its qualitative edge and enhance its war fighting capabilities," Antony said in his address at the induction ceremony. Besides the Defence Minister, IAF chief P V Naik...

The military transport market will see production of almost 900 new aircraft over the next decade, but the raw numbers obscure major changes in the landscape. Production of the Boeing C-17 could end, leaving the strategic transport market to the Airbus Military A400M, while the Lockheed Martin C-130J will face a challenge for the tactical sector from Embraer’s new KC-390. In the absence of Congressional funding for more U.S. Air Force aircraft, Boeing has restructured C-17 production to be economic at a lower rate but cannot hope to keep the line going indefinitely on export orders. Forecast International projects the...

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal P. V. Naik today said C-130J, which is capable of landing on all terrains and in varied altitudes, would be inducted into the Indian Air Force on February 5th 2011. "The aircraft is capable of landing on all sorts of terrains and altitudes. C-130 J has been made capable of special operations, missions also. So all these are the reasons why we went in for the aircraft," said Naik. "Yes, all kinds of special missions, but I would not like to specify any of them," he added, when asked about the...

Boosting its Special Operations capabilities, the Indian Air Force will formally induct its first C-130 J ''Hercules'' transport aircraft on February 5. Buzz up!The aircraft is likely to arrive in the country by theend of this month and would be formally inducted into the IAF at a ceremony at its home base Hindan air base near here on February 5, IAF officials said here. The first of the six aircraft procured by India under a USD 970 million deal was handed over to IAF in mid-December. The aircraft is expected to enhance IAF''s special missions capability along with transporting men...

The Indian Air Force's new acquisition from the US for special forces operations, the C-130J Super Hercules airlifter , will reach its home base at Hindon on the outskirts of the national capital this week, ahead of its formal induction in February, an officer said. He told IANS that the first C-130J would be flown into Hindon by an IAF crew and would be readied for joining the service. A function to mark its induction would be held at its home base in the first week of February, he added. This will be the first of the six C-130Js that...

US aerospace and defence company Lockheed Martin expects India’s defence ministry to approve a formal letter of request to be sent to the US government for an additional six C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft within the next couple of months, according to Orville Prins, the company’s vice-president for business development in India. Under the contract, worth nearly $1 billion and signed in 2008 for six C-130J aircraft, India had an option to buy six more planes. Prins spoke to Business Standard from his company’s facility in Marietta, near Atlanta, Georgia, shortly after Lockheed Martin formally delivered India’s first C-130J...

The Indian air force's first of six Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transports will be handed over to the US Air Force on 16 December, ahead of its delivery to the nation in late January. To be based as Hindon air base, New Delhi's first US-built military aircraft will make its public debut at the Aero India air show in Bangalore in early February, says Abhay Paranjape, Lockheed's director, C-130J India. India's first three stretched-fuselage Hercules are involved in pre-delivery testing at Lockheed's Marietta site in Georgia, with the second to also be signed over to the USAF during December and...

Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with the Republic of Korea to provide the nation four C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. Korea’s new Super Hercules will be the longer fuselage or “stretched” combat delivery variant. Deliveries will be in 2014 and the contract also contains a two-year support program including aircrew and maintenance training. Korea joins 14 other nations that have selected the proven C 130J. “Because it is a legacy C-130 operator, the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) is able to take advantage of common spares, support equipment and a sound knowledge of the C-130 to reduce costs and...

Security Pact Remains U.S.-India Sticking Point The Indian air force is exploring upgrade options for U.S. military aircraft that will be handed over without key capabilities in the absence of an agreement governing those systems. The U.S. is withholding several subsystems until India ratifies the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement, which governs current and future transfers of intelligence systems to India. India is not ready to commit to the security pact and instead is willing to take slightly less capable U.S. systems initially, expecting to backfill the missing features later. The strategy will be tested when the Indian...

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress June 30 of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Oman of logistics support and training for two C-130J-30 aircraft, including associated equipment and parts for an estimated cost of $54 million. The Government of Oman has requested a possible sale of logistics support and training for two (2) C-130J-30 aircraft being procured through a Direct Commercial Sale, 2 AN/AAR-47 Missile Approach Warning Systems, 2 AN/ALE-47 Countermeasure Dispenser Sets, 2 AN/ALR-56M Radar Warning Receivers, communication equipment, software support, repair and return, installation, aircraft ferry and refueling support, spare and repair parts, support and test...

The first Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules for India has completed painting at the company's Marietta, Ga., facility. The aircraft now enters flight test in preparation for delivery at the end of the year. The program for India includes six C-130Js, training of aircrew and maintenance technicians, spare parts, and ground support and test equipment. Also included is India-unique operational equipment designed to increase Special Operations capabilities.

Israel has signed a deal to buy an American stretched version of the C-130J transport, modified for special operations (commando) missions. This means the aircraft is equipped with night vision gear, more radios, radar warning equipment and counter-measures for anti-aircraft missiles. India and the U.S. are also buying this special operations model. Two years ago, Israel sought to buy nine of the latest model of the C-130, the C-130J. These would cost about $200 million each, and Israel eventually found they could not afford all of them right now. Israel began using the C-130 in 1971, and most of its...

The Harvest HAWK equipped KC-130J Hercules completed Phase One testing here on Apr. 10 and departed for the West Coast for required maintenance and to continue testing on NAVAIR's ranges at China Lake, Calif. Harvest HAWK is a modular roll-on, roll-off weapons system for the KC-130J consisting of a Fire Control Console in the aircraft's cargo compartment, the Target Sight Sensor (TSS) mounted in the left under wing fuel tank and a launcher for four Hellfire missiles mounted on the left hand refueling pylon. NAVAIR is working a complimentary effort to test and deploy the Standoff Precision Guided Munition (SOPGM)...

Israeli C-130 (click to view full) In July 2008, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Israel’s request to buy up to 9 stretched C-130J-30 aircraft, which will replace some of the aging C-130 aircraft that Israel made famous in its 1976 commando raid at Entebbe, Uganda . Appropriately, the new aircraft will also contain a number of features associated with the new HC/MC-130J Special Forces aircraft bought by India and the USA. It has taken some time, but Israel has finally become the 13th C-130J customer nation. The order is a bit smaller than expected, however...

.S. Air Force Chief of Staff has delivered first of 28 Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules to the 317th Airlift Group at Dyess Air Force Base. "The delivery of this C-130J and others like it is a step toward modernising our airlift inventories , we’ll continue to make progress in this area over the next few years,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz said in an Air Forse official new release. The 317th Airlift Group will replace its existing Dyess fleet of 33 aging C-130 from the newly developed aircraft C-130J Lockheed will complete the final delieveries...

The U.S. Air Force is buying 16 C-130J transports, for $100 million each, for conversion into AC-130J gunships. Equipping the new gunships will nearly double the price, and the first one won't arrive for seven years. These will replace older AC-130H gunships. The air force will keep 17 more recent (1990s) AC-130Us. The AC-130U has an additional 25mm autocannon, and has the capability to track more than one target at a time. The AC-130H gunship (nicknamed Spooky) is a 69 ton, four engine aircraft armed with two 20mm machine-guns, a 40mm autocannon and a 105mm howitzer. While the aircraft can...