Turkey’s defence ministry has confirmed that a long-expected deal for the nation to acquire a dozen ex-UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transports has been finalised.
No further details of the arrangement have been disclosed, but Ankara says the stored assets will now undergo “maintenance and modernisation” prior to their delivery.
Flown by the RAF until the type’s early retirement in June 2023, the 12 stretched-fuselage C-130J-30s have been stored at Marshall Aerospace’s Cambridge airport site since their withdrawal from service.
In its recently published annual report for the year ending 31 December 2024, Marshall said an expected contract to return the C-130Js to operational use – including installing replacement centre wingboxes on five of the aircraft – would be worth more than £200 million ($268 million). The activity should span a four-year period, it added.
Confirming its receipt of a contract from Turkey’s defence ministry, the UK company on 20 October said: “The multi-year agreement covers entry into service and sustainment for all 12 aircraft, including scheduled maintenance, spares and tooling.” The deal also will see it “provide training to enable the customer to build up an indigenous capability on the C-130J platform”, it adds.
Aviation analytics company Cirium records the Turkish air force as currently operating 18 legacy C-130B/Es, with those airframes aged between 51 and 66 years. By contrast, the surplus RAF Hercules originally entered frontline use from 1999.
Confirmation of the sale to Turkey leaves the UK with three standard-fuselage C-130Js still available to potential buyers.
Story updated on 20 October with quotes from Marshall Aerospace.
