C-130 Hercules News

July 22, 2024 (by Stephanie Stinn) - Lockheed Martin announced today at the Farnborough International Airshow that the worldwide C-130J Super Hercules fleet 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 refuelling, 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," said 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 every mission requirement."

3 million hours by the numbers

1. These hours were logged beginning with the C-130J's first flight on April 5, 1996, through the beginning of July 2024.
2. Countries with C-130Js contributing to these flight hours include (in order of delivery) the United Kingdom, United States (the U.S. Air Force, 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.
3. 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 U.S. Air Force Defense 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.
4. 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, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Coast Guard variants), AC-130J (gunship) and LM-100J (commercial freighter).
5. 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.