WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio: The Royal Norwegian Air Force will take delivery today of its fourth C-130J Super Hercules, a full 60 days earlier than the projected delivery date.
The agreement between the U.S. Air Force and the Royal Norwegian Air Force was the first sale of a C-130J via the Foreign Military Sales process. The case 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 a quick start when AFSAC turned the request from the Norwegian Ministry of Defense in less than half the normal processing time. This 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-130J incorporates state-of-the-art technology to reduce manpower requirements, lower operating and support costs and provide life-cycle cost savings compared to 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 an 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.
