The U.S. Air Force has received its newest Lockheed Martin-built C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, which will support the military branch’s aircraft upgrade efforts.The Air Force said Tuesday a team from the 37th Airlift Squadron brought the C-130J aircraft to Ramstein Air Base in Germany from Lockheed’s production facility in Marietta, Georgia.
The new plane will replace one of 14 C-130Js at Ramstein AB to mitigate potential issues with the aging fleet.
The Air Force regularly rotates aircraft among its units to extend service life as part of the Enterprise Fleet Management strategy.
C-130J is an updated version of the C-130 Hercules model and is designed to expand fuselage by 15 feet as well as extend usable space in the cargo compartment.
The upgraded aircraft also features a fully-pressurized cargo hold that supports rapid configuration for transporting troops, stretchers and passengers or airdropping forces and equipment into battle zones.
C-130J works to support medical evacuation, humanitarian, airdrop, cargo delivery, firefighting, aerial refueling, aerial spray and arctic operations.
