Free Republic

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...

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 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.

.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...

Lockheed Martin Corp. delivered its150th C-130J Super Hercules cargo plane to the California Air National Guard as the eighth and final C 130J assigned to the 146th Airlift Wing at Channel Islands Air National Guard Base near Oxnard. The aircraft was accepted on May 8 at Lockheed Martin's plant in Marietta, Ga., and flown to California by Brig. Gen. Darren W. McDew, Vice Commander of 18th Air Force. "The C-130J is an evolutionary leap in airlift technology compared to legacy C-130s," McDew said during the acceptance ceremony in Marietta. "This aircraft offers flexibility through greater range and payload for commanders...