Lockheed Martin lança primeiro KC-130J para a Alemanha

The first KC-130J Hercules tanker-transport aircraft for Germany was rolled out of Lockheed Martin's Marietta production facility in Georgia on 26 January. (Lockheed Martin)

The first Lockheed Martin KC-130J tanker-transport aircraft for Germany was rolled out of the company's Marietta production facility in Georgia on 26 January.

The Luftwaffe has to date received two ‘stretched' C-130J-30 airlifters that it operates with the French Air and Space Force (Armee de l'Air et de l'Espace: AAE) as part of the joint C-130 air-transport squadron.

With the Luftwaffe contributing three KC-130J and three C-130J-30 aircraft, the AAE is providing two KC-130Js and two C-130J-30s for a combined fleet of five KC-130Js and five C-130J-30s. France has received all of its aircraft, while Germany's deliveries are due to be complete by the end of 2024.

O esquadrão de transporte aéreo C-130 na Base Aérea de Évreux-Fauville, no norte da França, terá troca irrestrita de aeronaves, tripulações e mantenedores, bem como suporte técnico e logístico com base em um pool comum de peças de reposição e um contrato de suporte de serviço comum . “Dez aeronaves, duas nações, uma associação – nunca houve nada parecido na Europa”, disse o Bundeswehr anteriormente.