Lockheed Martin will offer a variant of its C-130J Hercules to Britain as a maritime patrol aircraft.
The company says it could convert the U.K. Royal Air Force’s existing fleet of C-130J airlifters into SC-130Js maritime patrol aircraft, reducing procurement costs and technical risks, writes Tony Osborne of Aviation Week.
Lockheed Martin has also looked at a similar proposal for the RCAF’s needs but has suggested purchasing new SC-130J Sea Hercules for the job.
Lockheed Martin has these artists’ concepts below of the SC-130J.
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The latest C-130 maritime patrol variant utilizes the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Mission System, according to Lockheed Martin. The endurance of the SC-130J leads to more time to locate and engage targets, fewer sorties required to achieve needed coverage and the ability to do more with fewer aircraft, it added. Capabilities include infiltration/exfiltration, ASW sensors, ASW/Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) weapons, endurance, and low-altitude operations.
