Lockheed Martin has completed assembly of the first C-130J-30 for the U.S. Air Force (USAF). The aircraft was rolled out of the company's main production building on Jan. 25. This aircraft is the first of five extended fuselage length USAF C-130Js currently under contract.

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Following painting, flight test and preparation, the C-130J-30 will be flown to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., to begin airdrop testing. The aircraft will then be joined by two more C-130J-30s for a three-month test program.

From Edwards AFB the aircraft will be flown to Pope AFB, N.C., for further paratroop testing with the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division. Upon completion, the aircraft will return to Marietta for preparation for delivery to the 143rd Airlift Wing, the Rhode Island Air National Guard unit based at Quonset State Airport near Providence, R.I., in late November.

Although designated a tactical airlifter, the C-130J-30 has demonstrated strategic capabilities with unrefueled non-stop flights of more than 4,000 miles. The C-130J-30 is based on the standard C-130J model, but features a fuselage that is 180 inches (457.2 centimeters) longer than the standard C-130J model, providing the greater airlift capability required by many operators. This version is the first stretched C-130J to be equipped with the Enhanced Cargo Handling System.

When compared with the standard model, the J-30 can be used to carry 128 combat troops instead of 92, and 92 paratroops instead of 64. It can also carry seven 463L pallets rather than five, 97 medical liters instead of 74, and 24 container delivery system (CDS) bundles instead of 16.

Worldwide, 111 C-130Js and J-30s have been ordered. Current customers include the Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Marine Corps, Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Italian Air Force, and the Royal Danish Air Force.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company is a leader in the design, development, systems integration, production, and support of advanced military aircraft and related technologies. Its customers include the military services of the United States and allied countries throughout the world. Products include the F-16, F-22, C-130J, F-117, U-2, and Joint Strike Fighter, among other renowned aircraft.

LM Aeronautics is a unit of Lockheed Martin Corporation . Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global enterprise principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, and integration of advanced-technology systems, products, and services. The corporation's core businesses are systems integration, space, aeronautics, and technology services.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company