Date: 10 Nov 2003
Time: 13:17
Lockheed Martin recently delivered the first HC-130J Super Hercules airlifters to the US Coast Guard in ceremonies here today. The new aircraft will serve in a number of roles for the Coast Guard, which now falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It will eventually replace the service's oldest HC-130H long-range maritime patrol aircraft, a number of which were built in the early 1970s.
As part of the ceremony, the Coast Guard's HC-130J Aircraft Project Office (APO), which will conduct initial aircrew and maintenance training and develop a support and operations concept for the aircraft, was formally established. Lockheed Martin has established a technical and customer support centre as an adjunct to the APO.
The HC-130 has been the Coast Guard's primary long-range search and rescue and maritime patrol aircraft since 1959. The HC-130J will continue, and expand, that legacy. Four HC-130Js have been delivered, and the last two aircraft currently on contract for the Coast Guard are scheduled for delivery from the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Ga., later this year.
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