Saudi Arabia is acquiring two KC-130J tankers under a foreign military sale with the United States, announced aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The kingdom could also obtain up to 23 additional C-130J airplanes at a later date, states the company’s Oct. 21 release. “With the addition of C-130Js, Saudi Arabia will have a proven asset that provides unequaled results—both regionally and around the world,” said Chris Antone, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of business development for Saudi Arabia. The Air Force earlier this month announced that it had awarded Lockheed Martin a $181 million undefinitized contract to supply the two Saudi KC-130Js by April 2016 (see Pentagon’s list of major contracts for Oct. 18). Saudi Arabia, which has operated earlier model C-130s, becomes the 16th nation to acquire the J model, according to the company. (See also Saudis Request Super Herks.)
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
