The U.S. Navy recently acquired a C-130J-30 Super Hercules to be used in their next-generation TACAMO mission platform.

TACAMO is the U.S. Navy's airborne nuclear command‑and‑control support mission.

To get it ready for the TACAMO platform, the C-130J-30 Super Hercules is being modified into a E-130J Phoenix II at mission systems integrator Northrop Grumman, where the E-130J TACAMO industry team is overseeing modifications.

A four-engine platform produced in the United States, the Super Hercules is ideal for the TACAMO mission due to features like:

• Advanced avionics
• Improved power
• Increased range
• Impressive fuel efficiency
• Large payload capacity

With the delivery of the Super Hercules, the TACAMO mission reaches new levels and reinforces the collaboration between the Hercules family and the mission. Building on the EC-130Q variant’s performance as the TACAMO platform from 1963-1993, the new Super Hercules adds:

• Advanced avionics
• Next-gen communications
• Enhanced survivability upgrades

"This delivery marks a historic milestone for the U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin, and the nation's strategic communications network," said Trish Pagan, vice president of Lockheed Martin's Air Mobility & Maritime Missions.

Pagan continued, "The C-130J-30 Super Hercules continues to evolve and adapt to the needs of our customers, carrying the proven reliability of its lineage while transforming into a new, strategic mission set.”

“It is built to deliver the capabilities our joint force demands and built to last through any operational challenge,” noted Pagan.

"The C-130J platform has a storied history supporting our strategic communications mission, and accepting this first C-130J-30 marks an exciting new chapter," said U.S. Navy Capt. Roger Davis, Airborne Strategic Command, Control and Communications program manager (PMA-271).

Davis added, "Lockheed Martin's delivery of this battle-proven airframe provides the structural and performance backbone our mission requires as we transition into mission systems integration to field the E-130J Phoenix II."