Lockheed Martin officials are pushing a new variant of the C-130J aircraft to international customers who may not need the full tactical capability of the current airlifter, said Jim Grant, the company’s vice president for air mobility programs. The C-130XJ, as the aircraft is dubbed, will cost 10 percent to 15 percent less than the C-130J model used by the Air Force, he said. Customers who typically don’t do a lot of engine-running offloads will have the option of removing the fully automated cargo handling system and its underfloor winch, said Grant. In its place, Lockheed would use the above-ground winch similar to those on today’s C-130H2 and C-130H3 models, he said. The company also would remove some of the J-model’s radios and defensive capabilities, although it would leave wiring for those systems in place in case a customer wanted those as future upgrades, said Grant. “This opens up the opportunity to tailor the aircraft to meet the needs of the customer, and potentially get customers into the J-model capability who otherwise might not be able to get there,” he said on Feb. 23 during a briefing at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla.
The Air Force is shoring up its cyber defenses both on and off base for critical infrastructure such as water and electrical power, and industry experts are calling for more, even specialized, dedicated microgrids offsite to support USAF operations in case of a total blackout caused by cyberattacks.
