USCG orders 14th C-130J aircraft
Lockheed Martin has received a contract option worth approximately $63.5 million from the US Air Force for the production of a C-130J Super Hercules to be configured as a long range surveillance aircraft for the US Coast Guard (USCG), it was announced on 15 September.
This will be the 14th of the USCG’s planned 22 C-130Js. The aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in April 2020.
This award is part of a multi-year procurement contract that includes an option for the USCG to acquire a 15th C-130J.
The USCG has received ten C-130J aircraft to date. Four HC-130Js are operating out of Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and are equipped with legacy mission system suite capabilities that will be upgraded to the Minotaur mission system suite.
A fifth aircraft, the HC-130J Minotaur prototype, was delivered to the air station in June.
Production of 11-13 is currently ongoing, with delivery of base configuration aircraft expected in 2018 and 2019, before they enter the Minotaur integration process.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![How Canada is preparing the future River-class destroyers to endure uncrewed threats]()
How Canada is preparing the future River-class destroyers to endure uncrewed threats
Designed in 2019, Canada's new River-class destroyers are planned to be handed over by the 2050s. The long procurement timeline has cast doubt on whether the platforms will be obsolete for tomorrow’s warfare.
-
![Could the USCG icebreaker requirement open the door for more inland shipbuilding?]()
Could the USCG icebreaker requirement open the door for more inland shipbuilding?
The formation of a Great Lakes shipbuilding alliance could prompt a shift in how the US approaches naval and coast guard construction. But can distributed inland shipyards ease the country’s shipbuilding capacity?
-
![US Navy bets on radio frequency to increase vessel protection against aerial threats]()
US Navy bets on radio frequency to increase vessel protection against aerial threats
A Northrop Grumman RF-based defensive capability will equip USN destroyers and aircraft carriers to enhance their survivability against missile and drone attacks.
-
![Naval Group’s Barracuda bid could deepen Franco-Greek naval alignment]()
Naval Group’s Barracuda bid could deepen Franco-Greek naval alignment
As the Hellenic Navy looks to replace its ageing submarines with a next-generation fleet, other likely contenders for the programme include TKMS, Saab, Fincantieri, Navantia and Hanwha Ocean.
