Lockheed Martin receives contract just under $1 billion to produce 17 C-130J

Yesterday the Pentagon announced that Lockheed Martin Corp has been awarded a $969 million contract to build 17 C-130J aircraft.

The Department of Defense expects the aircraft to be delivered around April of 2020.

According to Reuters, “Last month,  Lockheed announced that it had reached a verbal agreement with the U.S. Air Force for a five-year contract to build up to 83 C-130 J Super Hercules transport planes for the Air Force, Coast Guard and Marine Corps”

The C-130J in the newest model of the Lockheed’s C-130 Hercules and is the only model still in service.  Since its first flight in 1996 and continuous production starting in 1999, 6 countries have placed 330 orders for the aircraft.

The aircraft has had extensive use by the Air Force and Marine Corps during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Its ability to land in non-traditional landing zones have secured its use for humanitarian relief missions, special operations, aerial refueling, CAS, and search and rescue missions for over 50 years.