Lockheed Martin announced April 28 that it has delivered the 100th C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft to the US armed forces. The aircraft was handed over to the 41st Airlift Squadron at Little Rock AFB, Ark., April 27. “It’s a special honor and privilege for me to deliver this amazing aircraft to the 41st Airlift Squadron,” said Brig. Gen. Rowayne A. Schatz Jr., commander of the base’s 314th Airlift Wing. The squadron received its first J model in March 2007. The unit is currently deployed in Southwest Asia on its inaugural combat deployment, and is the first active-duty combat-delivery squadron to employ the Super Hercules. In addition to Air Mobility Command, Air Education and Training Command, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, and the Marine Corps and Coast Guard fly variants of the C-130J. As of February USAF had received 63 C-130Js, including 10WC-130Js for weather monitoring and seven EC-130Js for information and psychological operations. It recently increased its C-130J program of record from 82 to 134 airplanes, not including the up to 115 C-130J derivatives it wants to replace its aging MC-130 special-mission aircraft and HC-130 tankers for combat rescue helicopters.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.