The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...

military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The C-130J is the newest version of the C-130 Hercules and the only model in production. , 500 C-130J aircraft were delivered to 26 operators in 22 countries.

Development

On 16 December 1994, Lockheed received the launch order for the J-model from the United Kingdom's

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF). The C-130J launch order occurred after a UK government stalemate of several months that concerned whether to buy new transport aircraft from Europe or the United States. It was paired with a commitment to buy 40 to 50 of the proposed European

Future Large Aircraft The Airbus A400M AtlasNamed after the Greek mythological figure. is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabil ...

aircraft (FLA, which was later designated as the A400M). The FLA commitment, which reduced the size of the C-130J launch order, was intended to ensure a 20 percent British workshare in the FLA program, and to prevent German industry from threatening

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...

's position as the wing manufacturer on the FLA and future

Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...

commercial projects. The RAF ordered 25 aircraft for a total fixed price of US$1.6 billion, with first deliveries originally scheduled to begin in November 1996. The promised deliveries of the C-130J allowed the

British Ministry of Defence The Ministry of Defence (MOD or MoD) is the Departments of the United Kingdom Government, department responsible for implementing the defence policy set by Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's Government, and is the headquarters of ...

to meet the 1996 deadline for replacing half of the RAF's aging fleet of Hercules aircraft, while the FLA aircraft was not expected to be available at the time until 2003. To speed up the sale of military and commercial versions of the aircraft,

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

(FAA) civil certification was pursued before delivery would happen. Civil certification was not a regulatory requirement and was unneeded for the RAF launch order. However, certification was stipulated in Lockheed Martin's contracts with some subsequent customers, including the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

(USAF) and the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF). The program suffered from problems such as software integration glitches that extended the schedule by three months, followed by a nine-month delay caused by undiscovered stall characteristics that required aircraft modification. The stall problem was caused by the additional power of the engines and the increase in propeller blades from 4 to 6, which changed the

aerodynamics Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dyn ...

so that the aircraft had a greater tendency to stall and roll at lower speeds. Lockheed Martin spent five months making 20 unsuccessful attempts at aerodynamic solutions, but the stall problems were so varied that the fixes it tried to make applied only to specific conditions (such as only during power off, or only at full power). Lockheed Martin changed the cockpit to include a

stick pusher A stick pusher is a device installed in some fixed-wing aircraft to prevent the aircraft from entering an aerodynamic stall. Some large fixed-wing aircraft display poor post-stall handling characteristics or are vulnerable to deep stall. To preven ...

, which takes control and automatically pushes down the aircraft's nose if the pilot doesn't respond to stall warnings. The stick pusher was meant to be a temporary addition until Lockheed Martin could find an aerodynamic fix for all of the new stall conditions. In late 1997, the company discovered that directional problems could be caused by ice build-ups. Because the AE 2100 engines were more powerful and fuel-efficient than the Allison T56 engines that they replaced, the engines no longer produced enough bleed air to continuously warm the tail. This situation had been anticipated, but the cyclic system that replaced the old de-icing system was found to be insufficient when the C-130J flew in extreme conditions. This problem forced the company to extend the

de-icing system In aeronautics, ice protection systems keep atmospheric moisture from accumulating on aircraft surfaces, such as wings, propellers, rotor blades, engine intakes, and environmental control intakes. Ice buildup can change the shape of airfoils a ...

higher and lower on the

vertical stabilizer A vertical stabilizer or tail fin is the static part of the vertical tail of an aircraft. The term is commonly applied to the assembly of both this fixed surface and one or more movable rudders hinged to it. Their role is to provide control, sta ...

to prevent ice formation, causing another delay of five months. These issues resulted in Lockheed Martin exceeding its initial C-130J development budget of US$300 million. By May 1998, Lockheed had spent over US$900 million in development costs for the C-130J. By the end of 1998, the company owed the RAF about US$50 million in penalties due to the delivery delays. FAA type certification occurred in September 1998 following 4,000 hours of

flight testing Flight testing is a branch of aeronautical engineering that develops specialist equipment required for testing aircraft behaviour and systems. Instrumentation systems are developed using proprietary transducers and data acquisition systems. D ...

. Deliveries commenced in 1999 as the Hercules C4 (C-130J-30) and Hercules C5 (C-130J). The standard C-130J had a

flyaway cost Flyaway cost is one measure of the cost of an aircraft. It values the aircraft at its marginal cost, including only the cost of production and production tools essential for building a single unit.

of in 2008."FY 2009 Budget Estimates."
''

'' via ''saffm.hq.af.mi'', February 2008, p. 81. On 23 December 2004, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz approved a program budget decision that ended the procurement of C-130J for the Air Force and completed the remaining KC-130J order for the Marine Corps in 2006, which would save US$5 billion in

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

budget. Deficiencies with the C-130J that were cited to support the decision included being unable to drop heavy equipment, the inability to perform combat

search-and-rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

missions, cold-weather performance issues, the risk of

paratroopers A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during Worl ...

hitting the fuselage when jumping out of the aircraft, major cost increases, and inadequate radar to fly into hurricanes. U.S. Secretary of Defense

Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, government official and businessman who served as Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under president Gerald Ford, and again from 2001 to 2006 under Presi ...

reversed this decision on May 10, 2005, after members of Congress stated that the canceling the pre-existing orders of 62 total Air Force aircraft over the following 5 years would result in about US$2 billion in termination costs to the government, which would have exceeded the cost of buying the aircraft. In mid-June 2008, the

awarded a $470 million contract to Lockheed Martin for six modified KC-130J aircraft for use by the Air Force and Special Operations Command. The contract led to C-130J variants that will replace aging HC-130s and MC-130s. The HC-130J Combat King II personnel recovery aircraft completed developmental testing on 14 March 2011. The final test point was air-to-air refueling, and was the first ever boom refueling of a C-130 where the aircraft's refueling receiver was installed during aircraft production. This test procedure also applied to the MC-130J Combat Shadow II aircraft in production for Air Force Special Operations Command.

Harvest HAWK

With the addition of the Marine Corps

ISR ISR may refer to: Organizations * Institute for Strategy and Reconciliation, a think tank, relief and development organization * Institutional and Scientific Relations, a Directorate of the European Commission * International Star Registry, a com ...

/ Weapon Mission Kit, the KC-130J tanker variant will be able to serve as an

overwatch ''Overwatch'' is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment: ''Overwatch'' released in 2016, and ''Overwatch 2'' released in 2022. Both games fea ...

aircraft and can deliver ground support fire in the form of Hellfire or

Griffin The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Ancient Greek: , ''gryps''; Classical Latin: ''grȳps'' or ''grȳpus''; Late Latin, Late and Medieval Latin: ''gryphes'', ''grypho'' etc.; Old French: ''griffon'') is a legendary creature with the body, tail ...

missiles, precision-guided bombs, and eventually 30mm Mk44 Bushmaster II cannon fire in a later upgrade. This capability, designated as "Harvest HAWK" (Hercules Airborne Weapons Kit), can be used in scenarios where precision is not a requisite, such as area denial.McCullough, Amy. "Refuel and Fire." ''

Marine Corps Times ''Marine Corps Times'' (ISSN 1522-0869) is a newspaper serving active, reserve and retired United States Marine Corps personnel and their families, providing news, information and analysis as well as community and lifestyle features, educational su ...

, 1 June 2009. The aircraft retains its original capabilities in refueling and transportation. The kit can be removed within a day if necessary.Flurry, SSgt Christopher
"KC-130J Harvest Hawk: Marine Corps teaches old plane new tricks in Afghanistan."
''

2nd Marine Aircraft Wing The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) is the major east coast aviation unit of the United States Marine Corps and is headquartered in Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Wing provides the aviation combat element for the ...

(Fwd), United States Marine Corps, Camp Dwyer, Afghanistan,'' 1 April 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.

TACAMO

The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

is considering replacing its fleet of E-6B Mercury aircraft with C-130J-30 Hercules aircraft in the Take Charge And Move Out (TACAMO) survivable nuclear communications role. The U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) posted a solicitation for fatigue test aircraft to a government procurement website on 18 December 2020. It is to award Lockheed Martin a contract for three "stretched" Hercules in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 for testing and analysis for the TACAMO mission.

Design

Externally similar to the classic Hercules in general appearance, the J-model features considerably updated technology. These differences include new

Rolls-Royce AE 2100 The Rolls-Royce AE 2100 is a turboprop developed by Allison Engine Company, now part of Rolls-Royce North America. The engine was originally known as the GMA 2100, when Allison was a division of former corporate parent General Motors. Developm ...

engines, Dowty R391 six-bladed

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...

scimitar propeller A scimitar propeller is a type of propeller that has curved blades with increasing sweep along the leading edge. Their name is derived from their visual similarity to the curved blades of scimitars. In the early 1900s, as established by the Fre ...

s that have blade tips swept by 35 degrees, digital avionics (including head-up displays (HUDs) for each pilot), and reduced crew requirements. These changes have improved performance over its C-130E/H predecessors, such as 40% greater range, 21% higher maximum speed, and 41% shorter takeoff distance.Eden 2004. Because of the deicing problem discovered late in the certification program, the C-130J includes a black rubber deicing boot at the bottom of the vertical fin, which is another visual difference from previous versions of the Hercules. The J-model is available in a standard-length or stretched ''-30'' variant. As a cargo and airlift aircraft, the C-130J's crew includes two pilots and one

loadmaster A loadmaster is an aircrew member on civilian aircraft or military transport aircraft tasked with the safe loading, transport and unloading of aerial cargoes. Loadmasters serve in the militaries and civilian airlines of many nations. Duties ...

(no

navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's primar ...

flight engineer A flight engineer (FE), also sometimes called an air engineer, is the member of an aircraft's flight crew who monitors and operates its complex aircraft systems. In the early era of aviation, the position was sometimes referred to as the "air me ...

), while specialized USAF variants (e.g., AC-130J, EC-130J, MC-130J, HC-130J, WC-130J) may have larger crews, such as navigators/ Combat Systems Officers or other specialized officer and enlisted air crew. The U.S. Marine Corps KC-130J uses a crew chief for expeditionary operations. The C-130J's cargo compartment is approximately long, high, and wide, and loading is from the rear of the fuselage. The aircraft can be configured with the "enhanced cargo handling system". The system consists of a computerized loadmaster's station from which the user can remotely control the under-floor winch and configure the flip-floor system to palletized roller or flat-floor cargo handling. Initially developed for the USAF, this system enables rapid role changes to be carried out and so extends the C-130J's time available to complete taskings.

Operational history

The Super Hercules has been used extensively by the USAF and USMC in Iraq and Afghanistan. Canada has also deployed its CC-130J aircraft to Afghanistan. C-130Js from several countries have been deployed in support of the US

Operation Odyssey Dawn Operation Odyssey Dawn was the U.S. code name for the American role in the international military operation in Libya to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 during the initial period of 19–31 March 2011, which continued aft ...

and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

's Operation Unified Protector during the

2011 Libyan civil war The First Libyan Civil War was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were seeking to oust his government. It erupted with the Liby ...

. From the first flight on 5 April 1996 to 30 April 2013, 290 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft operated by 13 nations surpassed 1 million flight hours.Israel Receives First C-130J Super Hercules: ‘Shimshon’
– Lockheed press release, 26 June 2013 In January 2013, it was reported that some of Canada's CC-130J transports had counterfeit Chinese microchips in their cockpit displays that were made by an American Lockheed contractor

L3 Communications L3 Technologies, formerly L-3 Communications Holdings, was an American company that supplied command and control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance ( C3ISR) systems and products, avionics, ocean products, training ...

. These parts are more likely to fail and result in failures such as blank instrument screens during flight. A 14-month investigation by the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Armed Services Committee concluded that

counterfeit To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...

parts in the Hercules and other American-made military equipment are prone to failure with potentially "catastrophic consequences." The U.S. congressional investigation reported the fake Hercules microchips were originally made by the Korean electronics giant

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

in the 1990s, and more than a decade later, had been recycled, refurbished and remarked to appear genuine by a different supplier from China. Samsung later stated that "it is not possible to project the reliability" of the altered parts. The U.S. investigation reported that the problems on the Hercules first came to light in 2010 when the instrument panel failed on a U.S. Air Force aircraft during active duty. On 20 August 2013, the Indian Air Force performed the highest landing of a C-130J at the Daulat Beg Oldi airstrip in

Ladakh Ladakh () is a region administered by India as a union territory which constitutes a part of the larger Kashmir region and has been the subject of dispute between India, Pakistan, and China since 1947. (subscription required) Quote: "Jammu and ...

at the height of .

Civilian use

The

Modular Airborne FireFighting System The Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) is a self-contained unit used for aerial firefighting that can be loaded onto both military cargo transport Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Embraer C-390 Millennium, which then allows the aircraft to b ...

(MAFFS) is a self-contained unit used for

aerial firefighting Aerial may refer to: Music * ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush * ''Aerials'' (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down Bands *Aerial (Canadian band) * Aerial (Scottish band) * Aerial (Swedish band) Performance art * Aerial sil ...

that can be loaded onto a C-130 Hercules, which then allows the aircraft to be used as an air tanker against

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

s."Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS)."
''U.S. Forest Service,'' 19 March 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2010. This allows the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

(USFS) to use military aircraft from the

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

and

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...

to serve as an emergency backup resource to the civilian air tanker fleet."Modular Airborne FireFighting Systems (MAFFS)".
''U.S. Forest Service,'' 24 June 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2010. The latest generation MAFFS II system was used for the first time on a fire in July 2010, using the C-130J Super Hercules.Krenke, Lt. Col. Ellen
"MAFFS responds to brush fires in California."
''national Guard'', 16 July 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2010. The

146th Airlift Wing The 146th Airlift Wing (146 AW) is a unit of the California Air National Guard, stationed at Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, Oxnard, California. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air ...

was the first to transition to the MAFFS II system in 2008, and it remains the only unit flying the new system on the C-130J aircraft.

Orders and deliveries

The largest operator of the new model is the U.S. Air Force, which has ordered the aircraft in increasing numbers. Current operators of the C-130J are the USAF (including the

Air Force Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commiss ...

and the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

(being their fourth variant after KC-130F, KC-130R and KC-130T,)

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) is the air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its complement of personnel and aircraft assets ranks third amongst the air forces of the world. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial w ...

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

, Royal Danish Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force,

Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...

, and the

Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

. As of March 2022, a total of 500 units have been produced."Lockheed Martin delivers 500th C-130J Super Hercules"
''Aviacionline'', 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.

International orders

RAAF Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 YPMC Creek

The

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

was the second international customer for the C-130J-30, with an initial order of twelve aircraft. An order for two more aircraft was planned, but was replaced by the purchase of a fifth

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two ...

. On 2 November 2022, the US State Department approved the possible sale of 24 C-130Js worth up to $6.35 billion to the Australian Air Force. The Royal Norwegian Air Force ordered four C-130J-30s in 2007 to replace six aging C-130Hs in need of repairs."Norway to Renew Tactical Transport Fleet."
''Defense Industry Daily'', 23 November 2009. Aircraft were delivered from November 2008Hoyle, Craig

''

Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...

'', 17 November 2008. to 2010. One of these was lost in March 2012. The

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

signed a US$1.4 billion contract with Lockheed Martin for seventeen new C-130J-30s in January 2008, as part of the procurement process to replace the existing C-130E and H models. The C-130J is officially designated as the ''CC-130J Hercules'' in Canadian service. The first C-130J was delivered to CFB Trenton in June 2010."New generation of CC-130J Hercules arrives in Canada."
''Canada's Air Force'', 4 June 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010. The final C-130J was delivered in May 2012."Final CC-130J Hercules Transport Aircraft Delivery Ahead of Schedule."
''Canada's Air Force'', 11 May 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2012. The

purchased six C-130J-30s in early 2008 at a cost of up to US$1.059 billion for its

special operations forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

in a package deal with the US government under its

Foreign Military Sales The United States Department of Defense's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program facilitates sales of U.S. arms, defense equipment, defense services, and military training to foreign governments. The purchaser does not deal directly with the defens ...

(FMS) program. India has options to buy six more aircraft. The Indian government decided not to sign the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), which resulted in the exclusion of high precision GPS and other sensitive equipment. The IAF added similar equipment produced indigenously to the aircraft after delivery. In October 2011, India announced its intent to exercise the option for the six additional aircraft, following the C-130J's favorable performance in the

2011 Sikkim earthquake The 2011 Sikkim earthquake (also known as the 2011 Himalayan earthquake) occurred with a moment magnitude of 6.9 and was centered within the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, near the border of Nepal and the Indian state of Sikkim, at on Sunday, ...

relief operations. In July 2012, the U.S. accepted India's request for the six more C-130Js through the FMS program."US accepts India's request for supplying 6 more C-130J planes."
''The Economic Times'', 20 July 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012. In December 2013, India's CCS approved the order for 6 more aircraft. C-130 J

The Iraqi Air Force ordered six C-130J-30s in July 2008."Iraq Orders C-130Js."
''Defense Industry Daily'', 12 August 2009.

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

ordered four C-130Js in October 2008, along with spare parts and training for the Qatar Emiri Air Force. The contract is worth a total of US$393.6 million and deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2011. The United Arab Emirates Air Force announced an order for twelve C-130J transports at the 2009 IDEX, with an announced value of US$1.3 billion. The

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

requested 12 C-130Js through a Direct Commercial Sale in December 2009, with logistics support, training and related systems to be provided through a Foreign Military Sales program. A contract with Lockheed Martin has not been signed. The

is seeking to purchase nine C-130J-30s. In April 2010 Israel ordered one C-130J-30 with delivery in 2013, and was in contract talks for two more aircraft in June 2010.Egozi, Arie
"Israel ditches Apache upgrade plan, commits to CH-53K."
''Flightglobal.com'', 30 June 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2010. An option for a second C-130J-30 was exercised in April 2011, along with planning and advance long lead procurement of aircraft components to support the third C-130J Israeli aircraft. The first Israeli C-130J was delivered in June 2013 and was modified with Israeli-unique systems in the United States prior to its arrival in Israel in April 2014. Israel ordered a fourth C-130J-30 in July 2013. The C-130J's local name is "

Shimshon Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution ...

". The

Kuwait Air Force The Kuwait Air Force ( ar, القوات الجوية الكويتية , al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Kuwaitiya) is the air arm of the Armed Forces of Kuwait. The Air Force headquarters is located at Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, with the remaining f ...

signed a contract for three KC-130J air refueling tankers in May 2010, with deliveries to begin in late 2013."Lockheed Martin Awarded Contract for Kuwait Air Force KC-130J Tankers."
''defpro.com'', 27 May 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2010. The KC-130Js will refuel its F-18s and augment its fleet of three militarized L-100s.

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

increased its C-130J order in August 2010 by adding two C-130Js to the single C-130J-30 ordered in 2009. Deliveries are to be completed by early 2014.Parsons, Gary
"Oman orders extra C-130Js."
''AirForces Monthly'', 25 August 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2010. The Royal Saudi Air Force has purchased two KC-130Js to be delivered in 2016. The

Mexican Government The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republi ...

has requested 2 C-130J-30s. The Mongolian Air Force is planning to buy 3 C-130Js. In July 2013, the C-130J became part of a competition in the Peruvian Air Force for a medium transport aircraft. The Super Hercules was a candidate along with the

EADS CASA C-295 The CASA C-295 (now Airbus C295) is a medium tactical transport aircraft that was designed and initially manufactured by the Spanish aerospace company CASA. Work on what would become the C-295 was started during the 1990s as a derivative of t ...

, the

Alenia C-27J Spartan The Alenia C-27J Spartan is a military transport aircraft developed and manufactured by Leonardo's Aircraft Division (formerly Alenia Aermacchi until 2016). It is an advanced derivative of Alenia Aeronautica's earlier G.222 (C-27A Spartan in ...

, the

Antonov An-70 The Antonov An-70 ( uk, link=no, Антонов Ан-70) is a four-engine medium-range transport aircraft Transport aircraft is a broad category of aircraft that includes: * Airliners, aircraft, usually large and most often operated by airlin ...

, and the upgraded Antonov An-32. The Peruvian Air Force selected the C-27J in November 2013. In 2015, the French Air Force ordered 4 Super Hercules to supplement existing capabilities due to the ongoing problems and delays of the ordered

Airbus A400M The Airbus A400M AtlasNamed after the Greek mythological figure. is a European four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military (now Airbus Defence and Space) as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabil ...

, through FMS the French got 2 C-130J in 2017/2018 and 2 KC-130J in 2018/2019 (helicopter refuelling capability), especially supporting French overseas operations in Africa. In January 2017, German defence minister announced the intention to purchase 3 C-130J and 3 KC-130J Hercules to acquire tactical airlift capabilities due to the delayed deliveries of the Airbus A400M. Together with the C-130J of the French Air Force this will form a joint air transport squadron. In September 2018, Indonesia's state-owned news agency

Antara Antara is an Indonesian news agency organized as a statutory corporation. It is the country's national news agency, supplying news reports to many domestic media organizations. It is the only organization authorized to distribute news material ...

reported that minister of defence

Ryamizard Ryacudu General Ryamizard Ryacudu (born 21 April 1950) is an Indonesian politician who served as the Minister of Defense of Indonesia from 2014 until 2019. He previously served as Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Army The Chief of Staff of the Indo ...

said Indonesia is looking to acquire 5 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. In June 2019, New Zealand's Minister of Defence Ron Mark identified the C-130J-30 as the preferred replacement for the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

's five remaining C-130Hs that are planned to be in service until 2023. In November 2019 the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the potential sale of five C-130Js, 24 engines and related equipment for an estimated cost of US$1.4 billion. The sale was confirmed in June 2020, with the planes expected to be delivered between 2024 and 2025. In September 2020,

Philippine Air Force The Philippine Air Force (PAF) ( tgl, Hukbong Himpapawid ng Pilipinas, , Army of the Air of the Philippines) ( es, Ejército Aérea del Filipinas, , Ejército de la Aérea de la Filipinas) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forc ...

chief Allen T. Paredes planned to acquire 5 C-130J-30 aircraft. The quantity was later reduced to 2 after government funds were prioritized for the COVID-19 pandemic response. In September 2021, it was reported that

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

ordered 5 C-130J-30 aircraft from Lockheed Martin for the Indonesian Air Force back in 2019, with the first aircraft already under construction. In January 2022, the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

announced its approval of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

's request to purchase 12 C-130J aircraft with related equipment and notified Congress. In November 2022, the US agreed to a

purchase by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

of 24 C-130J-30 aircraft, that will effectively double the RAAF fleet after the existing aircraft have been retired.RAAF looks to double cargo fleet with $10 billion US deal to replace ageing Hercules aircraft
Andrew Greene, ABC News Online 2022-11-03

Deliveries

Variants

;C-130J Super Hercules :Tactical airlifter ;C-130J-30 :Lockheed Martin designation for its extended fuselage variant; designated CC-130J by USAF for a short time after 2002. ;C-130J-SOF :Variant outfitted with extended

equipment for use with

special forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

. Unveiled in June 2017. ;CC-130J Hercules :Royal Canadian Air Force designation for the C-130J-30. ; EC-130J Commando Solo III :Variant for the

Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...

, operated by the

Pennsylvania Air National Guard The Pennsylvania Air National Guard (PA ANG) is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is, along with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, an element of the Pennsylvania National Guard. As commonwe ...

. ;

HC-130J Combat King II The Lockheed HC-130 is an extended-range, search and rescue (SAR)/combat search and rescue (CSAR) version of the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, with two different versions operated by two separate services in the U.S. armed forc ...

:Long range patrol and air-sea rescue variant for the

. USAF HC-130J version has changes for in-flight refueling. ;

KC-130J The Lockheed Martin (previously Lockheed) KC-130 is a family of the extended-range tanker version of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The KC-130J is the latest variant operated by the United States Marine Corps (USMC), with 48 delivered ...

:Aerial refueling tanker and tactical airlifter version for

. ; MC-130J Commando II :Designed for Air Force Special Operations Command. Originally named Combat Shadow II. ;MC-130J Commando II Amphibious Capability :A twin-float

amphibious Amphibious means able to use either land or water. In particular it may refer to: Animals * Amphibian, a vertebrate animal of the class Amphibia (many of which live on land and breed in water) * Amphibious caterpillar * Amphibious fish, a fish ...

modification to allow the aircraft to support operations at sea and in near-shore areas. ; WC-130J :Weather reconnaissance (" Hurricane Hunter") version for the

. ;Hercules C4 :

designation Designation may refer to: * Designation (law), the process of determining an incumbent's successor * Professional certification * Designation (landmarks), an official classification determined by a government agency or historical society * Designa ...

for the C-130J-30 ;Hercules C5 :Royal Air Force designation for the C-130J ; LM-100J :A civilian version of the C-130J-30 ;SC-130J Sea Hercules : Proposed maritime patrol version of the C-130J, designed for coastal surveillance and anti-submarine warfare.

Operators

Norwegian Air Force Hercules C-130J arrives RIAT Fairford 10thJuly2014 arp

S3-AGF - Lockheed C-130J Hercules - Bangladesh Air Force - 99-5482 - VGHS

; *

Algerian Air Force The Algerian Air Force (AAF) ( ar, القُوَّاتُ الجَوِّيَّةُ الجَزَائِرِيَّةُ, links=, lit=, translit=al-Quwwāt al-Ǧawwiyyah al-Ǧazāʾiriyyah, french: Forces aériennes algériennes, links=, lit=, translit ...

– 2 C-130J in service and 2 more on order as of June 2022. ; *

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

– 12 C-130J-30s in service as of January 2014"World Military Aircraft Inventory". ''2014 Aerospace''. Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 2014. ** 37 Squadron ; * Royal Bahraini Air Force – One ex-RAF C-130J in service as of December 2018, with additional one on order.Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 39. ; *

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ বিমান বাহিনী, Bangladesh Biman Bahini) is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The Air Force is primarily responsible for air defence of B ...

– 5 ex-RAF C-130Js ordered. Four C-130J received. ** 101 Squadron Special Flying Unit ; *

– 17 C-130J-30s in operation as of December 2018Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 41. **

436 Transport Squadron 436 Transport Squadron is a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force. It currently operates the CC-130J Super Hercules from 8 Wing Trenton in Trenton, Ontario. History 436 Transport Squadron was originally a squadron of the Royal Canadian Air For ...

; * Royal Danish Air Force – four C-130J-30s in service as of December 2018Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 43. ; *

Egyptian Air Force The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) ( ar, القوات الجوية المصرية, El Qūwāt El Gawīyä El Maṣrīya), is the aviation branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces that is responsible for all airborne defence missions and operates all milit ...

– two C-130Js on order for delivery in 2019. ; *

French Air and Space Force The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army; ...

– two C-130Js and two KC-130Js based at Orléans – Bricy Air Base in joint Franco-German unit. First C-130J inducted into service in January 2018. ; *

German Air Force The German Air Force (german: Luftwaffe, lit=air weapon or air arm, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ''Bundeswehr'') was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War a ...

– 3 C-130J-30s and 3 KC-130Js on order, to be based at Évreux-Fauville Air Base in France in joint Franco-German unit. ; *

– Twelve C-130J-30s in service as of December 2019.Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 46. A total of 12 C-130J-30s had been ordered by December 2013;"India Buys C-130J-30 Hercules for Special Forces."
''Defenseindustrydaily.com'', 21 January 2013. one crashed in 2014 which was replaced in 2019. ; * Indonesian Air Force – five C-130J-30s ordered ; * Iraqi Air Force – three C-130J-30s in service as of January 2014, with a total of six C-130J-30s on order. ; *

– six C-130J-30s on order with deliveries planned to begin in spring 2013."Israel Acquires Additional Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules."
''Lockheed Martin'', 28 April 2011. It planned to acquire a total of nine C-130J-30s in 2008. 7 received as of January 2019. ; *

Italian Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello , mascot = , anniversaries = 28 March ...

– 20 aircraft (four C-130Js, ten C-130J-30s, and six KC-130J) in service as of January 2022. ; *

– three KC-130Js delivered with an option to purchase three more. ; *

Libyan Air Force The Libyan Air Force ( ar, القوات الجوية الليبية) is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the Libyan Civil War, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,000 ...

– 2 C-130J-30 on order ; *

– 5 C-130J-30 aircraft ordered in June 2020 to replace its existing fleet of C-130s. ; * Royal Norwegian Air Force – four C-130J-30s in service as of January 2014 ; *

Royal Air Force of Oman The Royal Air Force of Oman ( ar, سلاح الجو السلطاني عمان, Silāḥ al-Jaww as-Sulṭāniy ‘Umān or RAFO) is the air arm of the Armed Forces of Oman. History Sultan of Oman's Air Force era The Sultan of Oman's Air Force ...

– one C-130J-30 in use as of January 2014. Two more C-130Js on order with delivery in 2014. ; * Royal Saudi Air Force – two KC-130J tankers in service ; * Republic of Korea Air Force – four C-130J-30s ordered with for delivery in 2014. Two of four aircraft were delivered to Republic of Korea Air Force in 2014. ; * Tunisian Air Force – two C-130J-30 received as of December 2014 ; * Qatar Emiri Air Force – four C-130J-30s in use as of January 2014 ; *

– 14 aircraft (1 C-130J, and 13 C-130J-30s) in service as of January 2020. On 22 March 2021, it was announced that the C-130J would be retired from the Royal Air Force by 2023. ; *

– 273 C-130Js and variants in use as of March 2022 *

– 65 C-130Js and variants in use as of March 2022 *

– 15 C-130Js and variants in use as of March 2022

Accidents

C-130Js have been involved in the following notable accidents: *On 12 February 2007,

(RAF) Hercules C.4 (C-130J-30), ZH876, c/n 5460 (built 1998) was seriously damaged during landing on a desert airstrip by multiple

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mechan ...

s (IEDs) along the airstrip, in Maysan province near Basrah, Iraq. There were no casualties to the crew and passengers, but the airframe was damaged beyond repair and subsequently destroyed at crash site by explosives to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. *On 15 March 2012, Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) () C-130J-30, 10–5630 'SIW' (the newest of four C-130Js in the RNoAF inventory), c/n 5630, on a flight from

Evenes Air Station Evenes Air Station is a military airbase of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) located in the town of Evenes in Evenes Municipality, Nordland county, Norway. History The air station was initially opened in 1979 as a hub for Bodø Main Air ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

Kiruna (; se, Giron ; fi, Kiiruna ) is the northernmost Stad (Sweden), city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,167 in 2016) in Norr ...

, Sweden, impacted the side of Kebnekaise mountain at an altitude of during bad weather after

disappearing from radar Disappearing may refer to: * "Disappearing" (The Sinceros song), from the 1981 album ''Pet Rock'' *"Disappearing", a 2013 song by musician Dan Wilson *"Disappearing", a 2017 episode of the Korean series ''My Only Love Song'' See also *Disappear ...

, and disintegrated. All five RNoAF crew aboard were killed. Continued bad weather meant that a RNoAF Lockheed P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft was not able to spot the wreckage until 17 March. The RNoAF C-130J aircraft was to collect soldiers, and fly back to the Norwegian base for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO/OTAN) exercise ''

Cold Response Cold Response is the name given to Norwegian led military exercises with NATO member countries and invited Partnership for Peace countries held in Norway every second year. Cold Response 2006 The first exercises was the largest military exerci ...

''. *On 28 March 2014,

(IAF) C-130J-30 KC-3803 (one of six operated by the IAF), operated by 77 Squadron 'Veiled Vipers', crashed near

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

, India, less than ten minutes after takeoff, killing all five personnel aboard. The aircraft was conducting low level penetration training by flying at around , following a second C-130J. It was then during a climb to when it stalled after running into

wake turbulence Wake turbulence is a disturbance in the atmosphere that forms behind an aircraft as it passes through the air. It includes variety of elements, the most significant of which are wingtip vortices and jetwash. Jetwash refers to the rapidly moving g ...

from the lead aircraft in the formation, which caused it to crash; suggesting an error of judgement by the pilot. *On 2 October 2015, a

(USAF) C-130J originally from the

317th Airlift Group The 317th Airlift Wing (317 AW) is a United States Air Force unit, stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Assigned to Air Mobility Command (AMC) Eighteenth Air Force, the 317 AW operates as a tenant unit at Dyess AFB, an installation under t ...

Dyess Air Force Base Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and west of Fort Worth, Texas. The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Command Ei ...

, assigned to the

774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron The 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 455th Expeditionary Operations Group at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. The squadron provides airlift to forces engaged in the War in Afghanist ...

, part of the

455th Air Expeditionary Wing The 455th Air Expeditionary Wing was a provisional United States Air Force unit formerly located at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. It was one of two expeditionary wings in Afghanistan. Most wing personnel were located at the Air Force Village know ...

, crashed approximately 28 seconds after

takeoff Takeoff is the phase of flight in which an aerospace vehicle leaves the ground and becomes airborne. For aircraft traveling vertically, this is known as liftoff. For aircraft that take off horizontally, this usually involves starting with a t ...

from

Jalalabad Airport , nativename-r = , image = Nangarhar Airport.jpg , caption = View of the airport's control tower in 2008 , IATA = JAA , ICAO = OAJL , pushpin_map = Afghanistan , pushpi ...

, Afghanistan; killing all eleven onboard (six US airmen and five civilian contractors), and three Afghan troops in a guard tower on the ground. The pilot had previously jammed the control yoke with the case from

night-vision goggles A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The dev ...

, but forgot to remove the case again during the next takeoff.

Specifications (C-130J)

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Borman, Martin W. ''Lockheed C-130 Hercules.'' Marlborough, UK: Crowood Press, 1999. . * Eden, Paul. "Lockheed C-130 Hercules". ''Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft.'' London: Amber Books, 2004. . * * Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". ''

'', 4–10 December 2018, Volume 194, no. 5665. pp. 332–60. . * Reed, Chris. ''Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Its Variants.'' Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1999. .

External links

*
C-130J brochure on Lockheed Martin web site

USAF C-130 Hercules fact sheet

"The C-130J: New Hercules & Old Bottlenecks" on defenseindustrydaily.com

C-130J Super Hercules Military transport aircraft on airrecognition.com

IAF's C-130J Super Hercules Sets New World Record For Longest Non-Stop Flight which lasted 13-hour 31-minute
{{Italian military aircraft

C-130J The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The C-130J is the newest v ...

1990s United States military transport aircraft Four-engined tractor aircraft High-wing aircraft Four-engined turboprop aircraft J Aircraft first flown in 1996