The C-130J Maintenance and Aircrew Training System, shown here at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., on Sept. 5, 2019, replicate cockpit controls and flying conditions and can reproduce weather disruptions and emergency situations that crews may encounter in flight. (Jayden Ford/U.S. Air Force)
The Pentagon has awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.9 billion contract to upgrade and maintain training systems used by C-130J Super Hercules crews at military bases around the world.
The contract, inked Feb. 27, covers the production, modernization and support of the C-130J Maintenance and Training System IV, or JMATS IV, according to a Defense Department announcement issued March 3.
The simulators are used to train pilots and loadmasters after classroom instruction. They replicate cockpit controls and flying conditions and can reproduce weather disruptions and emergency situations that crews may encounter in flight.
The work will support training system sat 12 installations operated by the Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard in the United States, Europe and the Pacific, the statement said. Some of the systems are already installed and will be upgraded, although the Pentagon announcement did not identify specific locations.
A C-130J Maintenance and Aircrew Training System pilot instructor watches over students at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., Sept. 5, 2019. (Jayden Ford/U.S. Air Force)
The contract includes work at Air Force bases in Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Germany and Japan; Marine Corps air stations in California, Hawaii, North Carolina and Japan; Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C.; Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Forth Worth, Texas; and Quonset Point Air National Guard Base, R.I.
The contract will be carried out in three phases. It begins with a five-year base ordering period followed by a five-year option period during which the government may adjust contract terms to meet their needs. A final three-year period will allow for completion of deliveries and support.
All work under the contract is expected to conclude by 2039.
The Super Hercules is the latest version of the C-130 aircraft family, which first flew in 1954. More than 560 of the aircraft have been delivered worldwide, including about 350 used by the U.S. military.
The aircraft is powered by four turboprop engines and is used for airlift missions that include transporting troops, equipment and humanitarian supplies.
