Jansen

Interesting blog page of the Indian delivery ceremony in December and some photos of the production line. http://web.me.com/kedark/Kedar_Karmarkar_Aviation_Photography/Blog/Entries/2010/12/16_C-130J_Super_Hercules_dons_Indian_Air_Force_Colors.html

Little old, but I just stumbled across this: CAE wins Lockheed deal Montreal— The Canadian Press Published Monday, May. 17, 2010 10:08AM EDTLast updated Monday, May. 17, 2010 10:10AM EDT CAEsaid Monday that Lockheed Martin has awarded the flight simulator and training company a $90-million contract to provide aircraft maintenance training for Canada's new fleet of 17 CC-130J Hercules transport aircraft. This is the Montreal-based company's second major CC-130J contract. Last year, the Canadian government awarded a direct aircrew training contract under a separate program. The maintenance training system developed by CAE will allow trained technicians to be certified without the need to access actual aircraft. Martin Gagne, president of CAE's military products, training and services group, said the contracts will give the company “a key role in helping prepare our Canadian Forces to fly, maintain and support Canada's new fleet of Super Hercules aircraft. The contract is divided in two phases. Over the next three years, CAE will design and manufacture a CC-130J maintenance training suite that includes two fuselage and one cockpit systems. After the training suite is delivered in 2013, CAE will manage the in-support until mid-2016, providing upgrades and maintenance. The project will create and sustain about 70 jobs during the initial phase and 20 permanent jobs once maintenance training begins in Trenton, Ont. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/cae-wins-lockheed-deal/article1571272/print/

I believe tail code FT is assigned to the 43rd Airlift Wing at Pope. However, those two aircraft have been assigned to the 79th Rescue Squadron at Davis-Monthan.

Slight correction: The Indian herks have their registrations as "KC-380x", rather than "K-380x". This revision corrects that.

This is the latest and greatest AllHerks C-130 Production List from Bob Daley. Want to know how many of each model have been produced or still flying? Where your favorite Herk is now? What deliveries of the latest C-130J have been completed? It's all available here. The file is in an Excel format, but had to be zipped due to a limitation of the forum. Windows XP and up should be able to handle it. This is probably the best Herk resource after Lars Olausson's books. All thanks to Bob, and the countless hours he spends updating it. This file is available in the Files and Documents Section http://herkybirds.com/content.php?209-files-and-documents [ATTACH]1971[/ATTACH]

I started compiling a list of version numbers here: http://herkybirds.com/showthread.php?1865-Contract-Batch-Numbers&p=17694#post17694 Lars Olausson's list apparently has the version numbers for each aircraft, but it may not be always accurate. He has asked for my input and will be sending me a copy; I can look it up when it gets here, but someone else who has it may reference it for you. I think P3_Super_Bee meant from a production standpoint going through Final Assembly, since he works on the line at Marietta. I know that a lot of the HC-130J's mods were done post Final Assembly, which is why it took 5 months to go from the paint shop to delivery. Most of what you listed was installed in the mod shop.

I just thought of an old conversation that may explain the mystery. Someone told me awhile ago that the KC-130Js were originally modified after the production line, rather than during production as it is now. Perhaps the first bunch of KC-130Js before IOC were built as regular C-130Js and then modified, but production KC-130Js were given the 72J code? Using my production list, this would track 72J01 (5555/166513) to around 2004, which was around the time that the KC-130J officially entered service with the Marines.

The KC-130J (upon which the HC/MC is based) was supposed to be equipped with Flight Refuelling Ltd.'s Mk32B-901E hose-and-drogue units, which are controlled using software rather than hydraulics. The FRL system allows fuel delivery pressure and flow rates to be adjusted at the hose end to better suit various receivers, while ram air turbine-driven fuel boost pumps in each pod improve fuel off-load performance. However, problems were discovered in 2002 with the FRL pod's hose reel response software, which did not provide "adequate responses...in the entire aerial refueling envelope", according to the USMC. Upgraded pods from Sargent Fletcher were used instead, with improvements like a Rapid Ground Refueling port and other reliability enhancements. Cobham owns RFL and Sargent Fletcher, so there was no big loss for them either way. The plan was to bring the Mk32B-901E back in after the problems were resolved, but since the new Sargent Fletcher pods offer the same digital capability (although through an analog interface), I am not sure what happened. If anyone has any updated information on the Mk32B-901E and whether it was ever adopted for the KC/HC/MC-130J please post!

The Portable Maintenance Aid (PMA) is a SUN Ultra I SPARCstation computer stored on the aircraft, and allows a maintainer to digitally ask the plane what is malfunctioning and get an instantaneous and fairly accurate response. Previously, when an aircraft part malfunctioned the maintainer had to track a repair from a symptom back to the faulty part and then fix the part. Now the PMA tells the maintainer what is broken and where it is. Lockeed Service News had a pretty good article covering it here: www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/service_news_magazines/V26N02.pdf

The Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) has four C-130J-30 aircraft on order. The first (5662) is now in Final Assembly, with the next (5663) coming up. No idea what the tail numbers will be...

Picture from 02 Feb 11: The first of 15 MC-130Js currently on order for U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command has completed final assembly at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta. Following painting and production flight test the aircraft will be delivered this summer. SN 5656 73J03

I don't get it...

The next batch of four CC-130J Super Hercules for the Canadian Forces should be out of paint and in flight test: 5649 130606 5650 130607 5651 130608 5652 130609 Flickr Gallery of Canadian CC-130E: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53476734@N08/galleries/72157625165302599/ Flickr Gallery of Canadian CC-130J: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53476734@N08/galleries/72157624821328564/

Post your questions and see....No point in asking if you can ask questions! :-)

Beginning last October, the 314th Airlift Wing began retiring its aging C-130E fleet. In its place, the Reserve component training unit will stand up to train legacy C-130 aircrews, provide flightline maintenance and internal support functions. The 314th AW currently has seven C-130Hs assigned, and the 10 Reserve and eight Guard planes are arriving commensurate with the retiring of the wing's E-models, Czelusta said. By October, there will be 18 legacy C-130Hs possessed by the 314th but still owned by their respective home Reserve or Guard units. These 18 planes will continue to transfer between Little Rock AFB and their home bases according to maintenance schedules and operational needs. Full article: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/64521/new-reserve-unit-stands-up-little-rock-air-force-retires-active-duty-c-130e-fleet

The font didn't look like the one used by the USAF, so I was curious as the aircraft was on the Dobbins ARB flightline. A comparison with the lettering matches that used by the RNoAF. Guess it was there for some maintenance or mods, but it seemed out of place. The number looked like 5623 to me, I guess that's why we have second opinions. Link to picture from Flickr: Norway also has 5601 and 5607. Their nicknames are Idunn, Frigg, Nanna, and Siw.

No, they are going to the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon AFB. This was explained here in response to one of your other posts: http://herkybirds.com/showthread.php?1245-Next-in-line-for-Jay-birds./page5

KC-3802 (SN 5639) has left Marietta for Hindon AFB in India, and will be joined soon by KC-3801 (SN 5638). Mystery tail: The rightmost tail in the attached picture has 5623 on it, anybody have any details? I have no information on that tail number.

The first two MC-130Js are now in Final Assembly, with another two right behind them. The production codes (73J) which they share with the HC-130Js are clearly visible.

MARIETTA, Ga., Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has delivered the first replacement Center Wing Box (CWB) assembly for the civil variant of the Hercules, the L-100, to Lynden Air Cargo. This delivery marks the first upgrade of an L-100 with a new CWB. The new Center Wing Box assembly is the first of three on order for Lynden, an Anchorage, Alaska-based firm that operates a fleet of six L-100s. The installation will be performed by Singapore Technologies Aerospace Engineering using Lockheed Martin-designed tooling. The new CWB will give the Lynden L-100 an additional 15 years of service life. The CWB sits atop the aircraft's main fuselage and forms the attachment point for the outer wings and the inboard engines. CWBs are manufactured in the company's Marietta, Ga., facility for both the new C-130J Super Hercules and for earlier Hercules models. Lynden Air Cargo began operations in 1995 and is part of the Lynden family of companies providing multi-modal transportation services including air, ground, marine and logistics companies. Lynden's fleet of Hercules has accumulated more than 125,000 accident-free flight hours since 1997. Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 133,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation's 2009 sales from continuing operations were $44.0 billion.

Mode S transponder broadcasts include the callsign, in this case SUMO28. SELCAL was BSDR, FYI.

Confirmed: 168065 5644 is with VMGR-152. Spotted 10 Jan 11 ROTM-PWAK squawking SUMO28.

This is the KC-130J Fiscal Year plan for the USMC.

KC-130T (Reserve only): USMCR KC-130T squadrons are planned to transition to the KC-130J beginning in FY14. KC-130T aircraft will be retired incrementally as KC-130J aircraft are delivered to 4th MAW VMGR squadrons. KC-130J Transition: 4thMAW KC-130Ts will be retired as KC-130Js are delivered in (3) plane detachment increments. The first (3) KC-130Js are planned to deliver during FY14. VMGR-452 (Newburgh, NY) will transition to the KC-130J first, followed by VMGR-234 (Ft Worth, TX). •Projected IOC (6 KC-130Js): •VMGR-452 –FY15 •VMGR-234 –FY18 •Projected FOC: (12 KC-130Js): •VMGR-452 –FY23 •VMGR-234 –FY24 http://www.aviationweek.com/media/pdf/Check6/FY11MarineAviationPlan.pdf

My understanding is that 72J is the contract code, but there may have been another code used previously. There is a list of all USMC KC-130Js in the sixth post of this thread, here is the link: http://herkybirds.com/showthread.php?2395-USMC-KC-130J-Thread&p=18598#post18598 The first KC-130J was produced in 1999; they have been making them for quite a while.