Lockheed Martin news

Super Hercules milestone with delivery of 500th C-130J

Hercules history was made once again, with the announcement that Lockheed Martin had recently delivered its 500th C-130J Super Hercules airlifter. This Super Hercules (Lockheed Martin aircraft #5934) is a C-130J-30 aircraft assigned to the 130th Airlift Wing located at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base in Charleston, West Virginia. The 130th Airlift Wing is a longtime C-130 operator that is currently modernising its legacy Hercules fleet with C-130Js. The US government operates the largest C-130J Super Hercules fleet in the world. This delivery represents the US government’s continued transition to the C-130J as the common platform across the Air Force, the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard. The C-130J Super Hercules is the current production model of the legendary C-130 Hercules aircraft: “the airlift choice of 26 operators in 22 nations, the global C-130 fleet has surpassed more than 2 million flight hours and holds more than 54 world records”. Defined by its versatility, there are 17 different mission configurations of the C-130J that includes transport (military and commercial), humanitarian aid delivery, aerial firefighting, natural disaster relief support, medevac, search and rescue, weather reconnaissance, and aerial refueling.

Spain for MH-60R helicopters with support

The US State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Spain of MH-60R Multi-Mission Helicopters with Support and related equipment for an estimated cost of $950 million. The Department of State has approved the possible sale to the Government of Spain of eight (8) MH-60R helicopters; twenty (20) T-700-GE-401C engines (16 installed, 4 spares); thirty-two (32) AGM-114R(N) Hellfire missiles, all up rounds; two (2) Hellfire II Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM); one hundred (100) WGU-59/B Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II Guidance Sections, all up rounds; eight (8) Link 16 Multifunctional Information Distribution Systems Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS JTRS) (8 installed); and four (4) Airborne Low Frequency Sonars (ALFS) (4 installed on 4 aircraft) etc.


Bulgaria for F-16 C/D Block 70s

The US State Department has also made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Bulgaria of F-16 C/D Block 70 Aircraft and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1.6 billion. The Government of Bulgaria has requested to buy four (4) F-16 C Block 70 aircraft; four (4) F-16 D Block 70 aircraft; eleven (11) F100-GE-129D engines (8 installed, 3 spares); eleven (11) Improved Programmable Display Generators (iPDG) (8 installed, 3 spares); eleven (11) AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR) (8 installed, 3 spares) etc.

8th THAAD battery for US Government

Lockheed Martin has received a contract totaling $74 million to produce the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System for the Missile Defence Agency (MDA). The award amount covers the production of an eighth THAAD battery for the US government. It’s expected to be fielded by 2025. The first THAAD Battery (Alpha Battery, 4th Air Defence Artillery Regiment, 11th Air Defence Artillery Brigade) was activated in May 2008 and the seventh THAAD battery was activated by the US Army in December 2016.