The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center awarded Lockheed Martin a multi-year $5.3 billion contract to deliver 78 additional C-130J aircraft to the Air Force and Marine Corps, the company announced. Under the overall contract, the Air Force will receive 30 MC-130J Commando IIs, 13 HC-130J Combat King IIs, and 29 extended-range C-130J-30 Super Hercs; the Marine Corps will receive six KC-130Js; and the Coast Guard has the option to acquire five HC-130Js, states the release. Delivery will begin this year and will be complete by 2020. “This multi-year contract provides true value to our US operators as they recapitalize and expand their much-relied-upon Hercules aircraft, which has the distinction of being the world’s largest and most tasked C-130 fleet,” states the release. The Defense Department on Dec. 30 announced the award of more than $1 billion toward the first 32 aircraft in the multi-year contract, including 13 C-130J-30s, five HC-130Js, 11 MC-130Js, two KC-130Js, and one Coast Guard HC-130J aircraft. Lockheed Martin delivered an HC-130J to the 71st Rescue Squadron at Moody AFB, Ga., last month. The aircraft was the 2,500th C-130 airframe produced on the company’s production line in Marietta, Ga.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
