LM-100J Rolls Out

David C Isby

The Lockheed Martin LM-100J, the civil version of the C-130J Hercules transport, was recently rolled out at the Marietta, Georgia, factory. After completion of its flight test programme, Lockheed Martin intends to have the LM-100J certified for commercial operation by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The LM-100J is a follow on to the L-100 civil Hercules, 115 of which were built between 1964 and 1992. To enhance exportability and reduce weight and cost, all military mission-specific features have been removed from the LM-100J. These include the lower cockpit windows (used for aligning on drop zones) and provisions for military electronics or air evacuation stretchers. Lockheed Martin has said these changes could reduce the unit cost of an LM-100J to $60–70 million from some $100 million for a military C-130J. China is considered a possible market for the LM-100J, including oil spill dispersion and environmental monitoring missions. However, despite changes in US export regulations under the Obama administration, it remains uncertain whether an LM-100J export licence to China would be granted.