The primary Lockheed Martin KC-130J tanker and transport plane for the German Air Drive (Luftwaffe) was rolled out of the corporate’s Marietta manufacturing facility in Georgia on 26 January. The brand new KC-130J with different two C-130J-30 transport aircrafts, which German Air Drive curently shopping for, will turn out to be a part of a joint Franco-German squadron at Evreux airbase, France. With the German Air Drive contributing three KC-130J and three C-130J-30 plane, the French Air and House Drive (Armee de l’Air et de l’Espace: AAE) is offering two KC-130Js and two C-130J-30s for a mixed fleet of 5 KC-130Js and 5 C-130J-30s.

The French Air and House Drive has acquired all of its plane, whereas German Air Drive’s deliveries are resulting from be full by the tip of 2024. The C-130 air-transport squadron at Base Aérienne 105 (BA 105, Air Base 105) Évreux-Fauville in France’s Normandy area, can have unrestricted alternate of plane, aircrews, and maintainers, in addition to technical and logistical assist based mostly on a typical pool of spare elements and a typical service assist contract. The joint Franco-German air-transport squadron is scheduled to realize full working functionality in 2024–25.

Commercial

Lockheed Martin rolls out first KC-130J tanker and transport plane slated for German Air Drive. (Photograph by Crew Luftwaffe)

In 2018, the U.S. State Division has made a willpower approving a attainable Overseas Army Sale to Germany of three (3) C-130J-30 plane and three (3) KC-130J plane for an estimated price of $1.40 billion. The German Air Drive will use these plane to conduct airlift, air refueling, and air drop missions as a part of a French-German allied squadron based mostly in Evreux, France. The C-130Js will present essential air refueling functionality to German and French fighter and light-weight transport plane, in addition to helicopters. Curently, the German pilots are being educated on the C-130J at Little Rock Air Drive Base in Arkansas and at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The Lockheed Martin KC-130 is a household of the extended-range tanker model of the C-130 Hercules transport plane. The KC-130J is the newest variant operated by the U.S. Marine Corps, with 48 delivered out of 79 ordered. The most recent Hercules, the KC-130J, shares 55 % of the identical airframe as previous fashions, however in actual fact is a enormously improved airplane. It’s based mostly on the Lockheed Martin C-130J Tremendous Hercules and offers vital will increase in operational functionality and efficiency margins over previous KC-130F/R/T (legacy) plane. The KC-130J reduces price of possession by means of system reliability and decreased upkeep man-hours per flight hour.