The Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin $889.5 million to supply 11 C-130J-based aircraft, announced the Pentagon. The order includes four HC-130J rescue aircraft for Air Combat Command, seven MC-130J special mission aircraft for Air Force Special Operations Command, and a single C-130J combat delivery airplane for Air Mobility Command, according to the contract description, which is included in the Defense Department’s Oct. 23 list of major contracts. The order also includes a single KC-130J tanker aircraft for the Marine Corps, company spokesman Peter Simmons told the Daily Report. Lockheed Martin’s Marietta, Ga., plant is scheduled to complete delivery of these aircraft by July 2015, according to DOD.
The Pentagon plans to use U.S. Air Force C-17s and C-130s to deport 5,400 people currently detained by Customs and Border Protection, officials announced Jan. 22, the first act in President Donald Trump’s sweeping promise to crack down on undocumented immigrants and increase border security.