Lockheed delivers the USAF Reserve’s first HC-130J Combat King II

Lockheed Martin have delivered the U.S. Air Force Reserve’s first HC-130J Combat King II.

Often tasked for airdrop, airland, and helicopter air-to-air refueling and forward-area ground refueling missions, the HC-130’s mission capabilities also include humanitarian aid operations, disaster response, security cooperation/aviation advisory, emergency aeromedical evacuation and noncombatant evacuation operations.

“From supporting humanitarian relief efforts on the Florida coast to making combat rescues in Southeast Asia, the 920th’s HC-130s have exemplified the reputation of being tried and true workhorses for 60 years” said Rod McLean, vice president and general manager, Air Mobility & Maritime Missions at Lockheed Martin.

“As we salute one fleet for a lifetime’s worth of work, we are also excited to commemorate a new era with the arrival of the U.S. Air Force Reserve’s first HC-130J Combat King II. This HC-130J provides the Citizen Airmen with increased power, capability and performance to continue to support critical missions close to home and around the world.”

Lockheed say that compared to legacy platforms, the HC-130J Combat King II offers “significant performance and capabilities advancements, to include fuel efficiencies, improvement in payload/range capabilities, an integrated defensive suite, automated maintenance fault reporting, high-altitude ramp and door hydraulics, and unmatched situational awareness with its digital avionics and dual Head Up Displays”.

The HC-130J is one of nine production variants of the C-130J Super Hercules, the current production model of the C-130 Hercules aircraft.