Photo - Lockheed Martin
The French government confirmed the purchase of 4 units of Lockheed C-130J Hercules tactical transport to operate in the French Air Force. The contract was signed on January 29 and is composed of four aircraft, including two C-130J for transport, 2 KC-130J with capacity for helicopter refueling in the air and reach of extended flight, plus a spare set of Rolls Royce AE 2100, training and maintenance parts.
The estimated contract when approved by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency , in November, was 355 million dollars. Delivery forecast for the C-130J is between 2017/2018, and the KC is for the year 2019. According to the informed by the government, the new aircraft will cover an operational gap left by the introduction of the Airbus A400M, which can not perform aerial refueling service helicopters.
Currently France has eight Airbus A400M in its fleet, with over 5 Lockheed C-130H and 31 C-160R, the latter is responsible for carrying out small missions to transport troops. There is possibility to equip the C-130J destined for France with Lockheed missile AGM-114K1A Hellfire, which performs air-land attacks.
