Marshall to support Turkey’s newly acquired C-130J fleet

Marshall Aerospace has secured a multi-year contract from the Turkish Ministry of National Defence to support Türkiye’s fleet of 12 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft, acquired from the United Kingdom.

The agreement covers entry into service and long-term sustainment for all 12 aircraft, including scheduled maintenance, spares, tooling, and training to enable the Turkish Air Force to develop an indigenous maintenance capability for the platform.

According to a statement from the Turkish Ministry of National Defence, the aircraft “were delivered to the relevant company for maintenance and modernisation,” with the fleet to be “gradually included in our Air Force inventory following their maintenance and modernization in the United Kingdom.”

The Turkish statement added that after completion of Type Training, “the maintenance and sustainment of C-130J aircraft will be carried out with domestic and national resources.”

Marshall confirmed that as part of the contract, it will complete centre wing box replacements on each of the 12 airframes before their transfer to Turkish service. The work is being conducted at the company’s facility in Cambridge, where the aircraft were stored and maintained under a resale agreement with the UK Ministry of Defence.

Marshall worked in partnership with Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Export and Sales to facilitate the transfer, acting as the Principal Retail Partner for the sale.

Bob Baxter, CEO of Marshall Aerospace, said: “We are delighted to have signed this contract to keep Türkiye’s new modern, world-class tactical airlift fleet mission-ready and mission-capable. Today’s announcement highlights our place in the global C-130 community as a leading provider of through-life fleet support.”

The Turkish Ministry of National Defence said the acquisition forms part of a broader effort “to further increase the advanced technology equipment and deterrent power of our Turkish Armed Forces”. The contract makes Türkiye the eighth operator whose C-130 or C-130J aircraft have entered service through Marshall Aerospace support, joining customers such as the Austrian Air Force, Bangladesh Air Force, and the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration team.