Lockheed Martin today delivered the 25th C-130J airlifter to the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force. This completes deliveries under the current production contract. The first aircraft was delivered to RAF Lyneham, the RAF's only Hercules operating base, on 23 November 1999.

The 25 Hercules, composed of 10 C-130Js, and 15 of the longer C-130J-30s, will equip 24 and 30 Squadrons. 24 Squadron will be operational with the new aircraft this year, and 30 Squadron in spring, 2002.

The C-130Js, becoming widely known as the 'Super Herc', will supplement the 29 original Hercules that will still be flown by 47 and 70 Squadrons, also based at RAF Lyneham. These Hercules are scheduled for replacement in 2007.

"The Royal Air Force was the launch customer for the J, and it is with a tremendous sense of pride that I can conduct this particular delivery", said Ross Reynolds, vice president of Lockheed Martin's C-130J program. "The RAF will very soon have a full operational capability that will put it, along with C-130J operators around the world, to the very forefront of airlift technology and capability."

The RAF's C-130Js will soon be upgraded with the Block 5.3 avionics operational system, which will bring the aircraft to the required build standard for the RAF to begin full tactical operations. The C-130J will bring a tremendous increase in operational capability to the RAF.

Early last year in a clear demonstration of the aircraft's capability as a strategic platform a Lockheed Martin flight crew, flying a production-standard unmodified Royal Air Force C-130J, carried a 34,000 pound payload nonstop and unrefueled from Fayetteville, N. C. (Pope AFB) to Cambridge, England. The crew set two new world aeronautical records during the flight, which covered a distance of 3,916.04 statute miles (or 3,402.94 nautical miles).

111 C-130Js have been ordered around the world, with 69 having been delivered. Customers other than the UK include Italy, Australia, Denmark and the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

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 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.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company