Final C-130-J delivered to Norway early

  • Published
  • By Daryl Mayer
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  The Royal Norwegian Air Force will take delivery today of their fourth C-130-J Super Hercules, a full 60 days earlier than the projected delivery date.

This case was the first sale of a C-130-J via the foreign military sales process. It included four aircraft, spare parts, technical publications and training at a cost of $519 million.

"From the very beginning, this case has served as an example of how to conduct foreign military sales," said Lt. Col. Peter Eide, 657th Aeronautical Systems Squadron commander. "The Air Force Security Assistance Center, the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Lockheed-Martin, the Air Force Security Assistance Training squadron, along with the people here in our program office have all worked extremely hard to deliver this vital capability to an important international partner."

Beginning in mid-2007, this case got off on the right foot when AFSAC turned the request from the Norwegian Ministry of Defense in less than half the normal processing time. This good start allowed the process to beat milestones along the way to conclude with the final aircraft delivery two-months early.

With an additional 15 feet of fuselage increasing usable space in the cargo compartment, the C-130-J incorporates state-of-the-art technology to reduce manpower requirements, lower operating and support costs, and provides life-cycle cost savings over earlier C-130 models. Compared to older C-130s, the J model climbs faster and higher, flies farther at a higher cruise speed, and takes off and lands in a shorter distance.

This newly built aircraft includes advanced two-pilot flight station with fully integrated digital avionics; color multifunctional liquid crystal displays and head-up displays; state-of-the-art navigation systems with dual inertial navigation system and global positioning system; fully integrated defensive systems; low-power color radar; digital moving map display; new turboprop engines with six-bladed, all-composite propellers; digital auto pilot; improved fuel, environmental and ice-protection systems; and an enhanced cargo-handling system.