Lockheed Martin C-130J

Aging aircraft, potential new fighter buys and a long-discussed service merger leave the Royal Saudi Air Force at a strategic inflection point.

The service’s special operations forces are arguing for their relevance as upgrade plans evolve.

U.S. Special Operations Command wants to progress quickly through long-awaited upgrades to the MC-130J through a different approach to addressing issues.

Airbus is using the World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this week to relaunch its A400M tactical airlifter sales campaign in the country.

The 2026 Marine Aviation Plan lays out an ambitious vision in four five-year blocks, with the last one starting in 2041 and simply labeled "next generation."

The Republic of Singapore Air Force will replace its oldest Hercules with used ones for now, buying time before choosing a new transport aircraft.

Lockheed Martin has paused deliveries of the C-130J airlifter due to a problem with certifying a new communications upgrade.

Taiwan plans to buy 10 Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules after determining that a mid-life upgrade of its existing C-130H fleet would be too costly.

International competitors see an uptick in interest for military equipment amid uncertain American trade policy.

RSAF's phased path—retire the C-130Bs, extend the life of the Hs, defer a full replacement—signals the Super Hercules may no longer be the default successor.

L3Harris expects a USAF production decision on a C-130H cockpit modernization program this year.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force is opting to acquire secondhand Lockheed Martin C-130H aircraft as an interim measure to replace some aging C-130B/Hs.

Connectivity provider Gogo is mounting a push to outfit some of the hundreds of C-130s with a new rear hatch to enable in-flight satellite links for special forces and other uses.

Autonomous cargo aircraft startup Grid Aero closed a $20 million Series A financing round in January.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

Mexico became the 25th country to order the Lockheed Martin C-130J airlifter, the U.S. company said on Jan. 21.

LIG Nex1 will develop an electronic warfare aircraft for South Korea's air force.

The Senate on Dec. 17 passed the fiscal 2026 defense policy bill.

China appears to have flown a new tactical airlifter, more than a decade after the concept was first unveiled in 2014.

A market survey shows the U.S. Air Force is close to launching development of a new version of the Lockheed Martin C-130J for the arctic mission.

The U.S. States announced a $330 million arms sales package to Taiwan on Nov. 13.

Authorities have initiated a search-and-recovery operation after a Turkish Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft crashed, killing all 20 onboard.

The Turkish government has finally confirmed it will soon take delivery of surplus Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules from the UK, after a long process.

Lockheed Martin is exploring ways to bring autonomy into the cockpit of its venerable C-130 fleet to reduce pilot workload.

Sweden has formally placed its order for the Embraer C-390, becoming the sixth European nation to commit to the airlifter.