C-130J-30 set to be used for nuclear comms mission

摘要

The US Navy (USN) looks set to field the Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules transport aircraft in the Take Charge And Move Out (TACAMO) survivable nuclear communications role, with a solicitation for fatigue test aircraft issued on 18 December. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) posted on the beta.sam. gov government procurement website that it is to award the aircraft manufacturer a contract for three 'stretched' Hercules aircraft in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 for testing and analysis for the TACAMO mission. "The analysis of alternatives (AOA) results indicated that the four-engine, militarised C-130J-30 is an optimally configured aircraft for performing the TACAMO mission," NAVAIR said. "The characteristics of this airframe also maximise the operational deployability of the assets to austere environments." The request for information (RFI) did not disclose intended aircraft numbers to be fielded operationally and did not divulge a planned in-service date.