Lockheed Martin has won a direct commercial sale (DCS) contract to build and equip a facility in France that trains French and German C-130J Super Hercules aircrews and maintainers for the countries’ binational C-130J Super Hercules Squadron, Lockheed Martin reported on Thursday.
“The French/German C-130J Binational Training Center will allow both countries to train pilots and maintainers on the full capability of these proven aircraft,” said Tom Gordon, Lockheed Martin, vice president of Training and Simulation Solutions.
Under the contract, Lockheed Martin will provide training devices, the learning management system, courseware and options for five years of training services. The company will begin development in 2021 and aircrew and maintainers will begin training in the center in 2024.
The training center will be located in Évreux-Fauville Air Base in the Normandy region of France and will provide training for C-130J-30 airlifter and KC-130J tanker aircrafts. The French and German binational squadron consists of a combined 10 Super Hercules aircraft.
In 2018, Germany announced the acquisition of six Super Hercules aircrafts to be operated in partnership with France. France has received a total of four Super Hercules aircraft through a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) with the U.S. government.
Lockheed Martin owns and operates its Hercules Training Center (HTC) in Marietta, Georgia. The HTC is a combined academic and simulator facility that delivers training efficiency on the C-130J fleet. The HTC trains C-130J crews as needed and will be used to train France and Germany’s initial instructor cadre of pilots and maintainers during the construction of the new facility.
“Lockheed Martin is honored to support this historic partnership and proud to work directly with our customers in establishing a first-of-its kind resource that will benefit Super Hercules crew members for decades to come,” Gordon added.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 110,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
