The US Navy’s well known C-130 Hercules, Fat Albert, will return to Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge later this year for a centre wing box replacement that will add decades to the aircraft’s service life, the company stated.
The aircraft supports the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels demonstration team and undergoes significant structural stress due to its high operating tempo and aerobatic display profile.
Fat Albert functions as both a logistics aircraft and a display performer. According to the company, it routinely carries personnel and equipment across the United States and covers more than 100,000 miles each season. It also opens Blue Angels events with a 15 minute routine that includes steep climbs, sharp banks, low passes and combat-style landings.
This combination of long range movement and demanding manoeuvres places unusual fatigue on the airframe.
The centre wing box is described as a “lifed article” that must be replaced at the end of its certified service life. As the core structure linking the fuselage to the outer wings, it carries substantial loads on every flight. The company stated that installing a new enhanced service life centre wing box designed by Lockheed Martin will add more than 20 years of operational life but requires an invasive and complex engineering process.
Marshall highlighted its long track record with this work. According to the company, it has carried out nearly 80 centre wing box replacements on C-130 variants since the 1970s and was designated by Lockheed Martin in 2024 as the first authorised Centre of Excellence for the procedure
Alongside the wing box installation, Fat Albert will receive routine maintenance, including a complete strip and repaint in the Blue Angels’ signature livery.
Shame Marshalls were not engaged to do same thing to the UK supply of C130’s…..could have been very handy….now very handy for Turkey.
It would have been a waste of money.. the Js are old … The A400 is much better than some like to admit, after initial problems. Faster, carries more, further and takes off in shorter distance than the Herc and is 20% more economic. One reason why there seems not much demand in the RAF for a smaller transport?
The J is the newest variant. There are C130’s flying from the 1970’s. The public was sold a pack of lies so industry could get their kickbacks.
The A400 is very expensive to operate, the engines alone are a French nightmare.
Fantastic to have that done in the UK.
Frankly I’m surprised that Marshalls has not been acquired by a USA company, like so much else of the UK’s defence industry. 🙁
Industry generally, rapidly becoming a mere colony, ultimate irony for you but I guess similar it happened to Ancient Greece so not alone.
I understand they use this to deliver all the Santa sleighs to the Artic Circle that we will no doubt be hearing about throughout December? Hopefully there’s a Plan B.
Slightly off point but of related interest. Marshall’s have been undertaking avionic upgrades on some SAAF C130B’s. Theses kites were on boarded in 1963. Must be a front runner for the oldest Hercs still operational Folks can say what they wish about the C130 being obsolescent etc. My view (based on on some experience) differs. I think next year marks the 70th operational year of the C130 and still in production!