Jansen

I'll ask my source about it, thanks!

Edit: Just reread the email, you are right. My fault in reading it too quickly and getting it mixed up with the Indian planes.

Got word that the first four MC-130J aircraft are in Body Mate, with delivery in February 2011.

5656 09-6207

5657 09-6208

5658 09-6209

5659 09-6210

Unfortunately the cost of maintenance and the extra crew means that pretty much all of the E models will be retired. Any H models that can't be rewinged and AMPed will also go. Personally I would like to see more H's being upgraded since the C-130J production backlog extends into 2016 already.

The 2010 MCAS Miramar Air Show will take place October 1, 2 & 3. This major airshow will have aerial performers and static displays, including older model C-130 Hercules and the USMC's KC-130J tankers.

http://www.miramarairshow.com

From Service News Magazine V30 #2:

Late C-130H and C-130J Center Wings

In the early 1990s following the design of the SOF center wing, some of the SOF durability enhancements were incorporated into the C-130H production center wing at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Serial Numbers 5306. These were specific improvements to local areas of the center wing; while improving the durability of those local areas, it did not significantly affect the overall service life of the center wing. The C-130J center wing is the same configuration as the late C-130H center wing. Some of the durability improvements incorporated into the late C-130H and C-130J center wing include:

• Hi-Tigue fastener system was added at SN 5215 replacing many Lockbolts, Hi-Loks

and Taper-Loks. Most structural fasteners are interference fit steel Hi-Tigue pins with

steel nuts. The Taper-Lok fastener remains at fatigue critical joints.

• New front and rear beam webs - Additionally, the front beam web splice was moved

inboard from Wing Station (WS) 174 to WS 168.

• New wing attach angles at WS 61 with improved stress corrosion cracking resistance

- These attach angles were designed with thicker legs and prevents these from being

replacement parts for older aircraft unless a new center wing is installed

simultaneously.

• A new lower front beam cap - The beam cap was reshaped in the area of Wing

Station 174.

Of course this has now been supplanted by the new extended life center wing.

Canada has 19 E model Hercules aircraft that have or will be taken out of service by April 2012.

130314 has already been donated to the National Air Force Museum at CFB Trenton. 313 is slated for the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum, and 306 is likely to go to the Western Canada Aviation Museum.

This is the list of museums I have that are most likely to get a Herk:

Aero Space Museum, Calgary

Alberta Aviation Museum, Edmonton

Atlantic Canada Aviation Museum, Halifax

Canada Aviation and Space Museum Ottawa, ON

Canadian Air & Space Museum, Toronto

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum Hamilton, ON

Canadian Museum of Flight, Langley BC

Cold Lake Air Force Museum

Comox Air Force Museum

Manitoba Military Aviation Museum

If you are able to get confirmation please post.

I just got a list of current and projected C-130J orders and it extends into 2016, even assuming full-rate production of 36 aircraft per year. It looks like quite a bit of job security for the guys in Marietta.

There are over 1000 Herks out there that will need to be replaced. Even with the AMP and center wing replacement programs and competition from the KC-390 and A400M that still means years of production.

Already covered here: http://herkybirds.com/showthread.php?2302-200th-C-130J-Delivered-by-Lockheed-Martin

Makes sense, I guess they are saying the building will open in spring 2011. Nice way of them to skirt around the issue, considering that we will have all 17 J-model Herks by the time they are ready to start training.

We have 2 down for maintenance right now, and even if we get all these deliveries on time, doesn't matter if we don't have crews to fly them.

We don't have a school house to train Pilots and Loads in Trenton until 2012 and are still dependant upon JMATS in LR.

Are you talking about 601 and 602? I heard they need to go back to Marietta for some for the mods that 603 and 605 have. Apparently 604 only has some of those and needs to go back as well?

I thought the new Air Mobility Training Centre that will include C-130J simulators is expected to open by spring 2011?

The problem is that 5631 (USMC tail 168074) hasn't been delivered yet, but 5636 and 5637 have been delivered to the Canadian Forces already. So yes. 5634 is the 200th produced, but for whatever reason a lot of the deliveries have been out of sequence.

Lockheed Martin is therefore correct in that this is the 200th DELIVERED, but it is not the 200th produced.

From what I understand about the CWB is that the first models of J's had the exact same CWB that all other c-130 have. I heard that one of the first J's that rolled off the line went through a CWB inspection after a period of time just to see how it was handling, from what I heard is that it did not go as they would have thought. Since the J's nacelles and propellers are not as heavy and the J does not have externals(except the USCG), this ads more stress to the wing box, more wing flex from less weight holding the wings down. It seems that this was over looked in the design of the J's and it is good that it is getting fixed.

All of the USMC KC-130J aircraft have external tanks.

With all of the added power from the new engines and the high cost of a CWB replacement, there is more than enough justification for the new extended life CWB in production. I definitely think Lockheed Martin made the right call there, and my question requesting confirmation of the new EL CWB has been answered. The only thing I'm still wondering about is when they started making it standard, FY09 or FY10, and which plane was first.

The first two airplanes were USAF line Birds.

Our aircraft we have purchased were purchased with the extended life wing box.

That's pretty much in line with what I was told. All the FY10 production Jays apparently have the new center wing box, and that's why we declined the swap offer for the 2009 birds (also USAF).

130603 is supposed to be delivered next week, and they are trying to get a couple more birds delivered to boost the Q3 numbers by the end of the month.

Once we get 603, the next four Canadian aircraft are due in January. They are currently in Final Assembly in B-1.

5649 130606

5650 130607

5651 130608

5652 130609

The 200th C-130J aircraft was delivered by Lockheed Martin yesterday. The HC-130J has a SN of 5633 and registration 09-0108.

The last few deliveries have been out of sequence, as 5632 (USMC KC-130J 168075),

5636 (130604), and 5637 (130605) have been delivered in recent weeks.

5634 (09-0109) was the 200th C-130J to come out of final assembly.

Edit:The HC-130J, the first for the US Air Force’s Air Combat Command, recorded another significant milestone as the 1500th C-130 delivered to the U.S. Government.

Can somebody verify this?

Apparently the J-model uses a center wing box similar to the 1990s era H model Hercules. However, the new Rolls-Royce AE2100D3 engines create a lot more stress, so Lockheed Martin improved the CWB and started installing them in all new production Herks in FY 2009. They supposedly have a higher EBH as well (80k vs 60k).

There was supposedly an offer of two early aircraft to Canada in 2009, but those were turned down because they would not match to the other 15 on order. The Canadian Forces instead waited until June for their first two aircraft, which used the new CWB.

AFAIK 603 is still in Marietta getting some more modifications. Let me know if you hear differently.

Still trying to find a current picture of 130315, I heard it has been time expired in Trenton since 2006. I have pictures of every other WFU Canadian E model.

I asked around, and apparently one of the old E model herks is rumored to end up in the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is the second largest aviation museum in Canada and is adjacent to the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, which shares facilities with CFB Winnipeg.

If 130306 is time expired and at CFB Winnipeg it makes sense for them to donate it to the Museum, especially since the base and the museum are directly connected via a taxiway.

Since India refuses to sign CISMOA (Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement), they will have to use their own package of comms and GPS gear. I wonder if this is what is being installed...

Is 130328 over 50k? 130315 had over 45k when it was retired...hklm said he was going to get a list with the E models that were close to 50k.

On the civvie side there was a bird reportedly with 99700 hours.

310 and 323 were at Cascade on 14 August, not sure what kind of work was being done. 306 was last seen flying on 17 Aug, according to my sources...Are they going to house it or put it in a museum? How many hours does 308 have now? Last I saw was 45k in Dec 2008.

The newest Canadian CC-130J Super Hercules, 130605, has arrived at CFB Trenton to join 436 Sqn. This will be the fourth to enter service, as 130603 is still undergoing modifications.

Noticed that there wasn't an Indian Air Force thread yet, so I thought I'd start one up! The IAF has ordered six herks to support missions for Special Operations Forces, which come with a probe for aerial refueling and a new variant code (50J).

There are rumors of many more orders to come as well. I should point out that these are the first herks ever for India.

I had received information that yesterday was to be the first flight test for #5638, but it turns out that it was only engine run-up tests and the real flight tests will start next month. A shame, as the first three (#5638-#5640) have been sitting on the tarmac since the beginning of August. The next three built after the IAF birds will be going to Dyess and have already started flight testing.

A few highlights from the draft agenda:

C-130 Program Update

Ross Reynolds, Vice President, C-130 Programs, LM

Field Operations Overview

Rich Harris, LM

Keynote Speaker Captain John Hardin, Commanding Officer, USCG Air

Station, Elizabeth City, NC

50 Years of USN/USMC C-130 Operations

Ray Waldbusser, NAVAIR

C-130 Corrosion Control

Bill Russell, LM

Military Commercial Derivative Aircraft (Possible new L100)

Melvin Taylor, Federal Aviation Administration

C-130 Short Pod APU Upgrade Kit

Armando Boucourt, Kellstrom

Next Generation SAR/CSAR Equipment

Henning Jacobsen, Airborne Systems

C-130 Propeller Modernization Program

Robert Schechtman, Hamilton Sundstrand

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/ams/HOC_2010_Draft_Agenda_9-16-10.pdf

http://www.codeonemagazine.com/news_item.html?item_id=155

A wingless C-130B Hercules is towed down Hercules Drive on 20 August 2010 prior to installation as a static display on the grounds of the 145th Airlift Wing, the North Carolina Air National Guard unit at the Charlotte/Douglas Airport outside of Charlotte. The aircraft, sporting a Vietnam War-era camouflage scheme, underwent hundreds of hours of refurbishment prior to the move. Now in its permanent place, the aircraft’s wings, engines, and propellers will be reinstalled.