Lockheed Martin now has the first three C-130J Hercules 2s flying on its test programme, as this latest shot taken over Georgia shows.
The difference in fuselage lengths between the first US Air Force C-130J ‘shortbody', seen here flanked by the first two C-130J-30s for the Royal Air Force is immediately apparent.
Lockheed Martin says that the increased power produced by the combination of Allison AE2100D3 engines and Dowty six-bladed propellers is giving the J "remarkable" climb performance, going directly from take-off to 29,000ft (8,845m), and then on to 35,000ft (10,700m).
Final assembly of the first stretched C-130J-30 for the Royal Australian Air Force is now under way, and Lockheed Martin plans to produce at least two C-130Js a month from January 1997.
Source: Flight Daily News
