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FARNBOROUGH—Lockheed Martin expects a quick return to normal C-130 deliveries following a stoppage of several months earlier this year, as the company is increasing its push for new Hercules orders in India, Latin America, and even more for the U.S.
The company has delivered eight C-130s so far this year, having resumed deliveries this spring after an issue with a new communication suite halted the U.S. Air Force’s acceptance. Trish Pagan, the vice president of Air Mobility and Maritime Missions at Lockheed Martin, says production continued through the pause, and following certification from the Air Force, eight of the aircraft have been handed over.
“[We are] pretty excited about that, and we should resume back to our normal, historical averages of deliveries in ’26 and through the next three-year period,” Pagan told Aviation Week at the Farnborough Airshow.
Lockheed Martin’s major focus for the C-130 now is on India’s Medium Transport Aircraft (MTA) competition, with a request for proposals for approximately 60 aircraft expected soon. The C-130 is competing with the Airbus A400M and the Embraer C-390 for the program.
India has an established history with the C-130, including its special operations forces operating the C-130J over the past 12 years with approximately 53,000 flight hours on those aircraft and about an 85% mission-capable rate, says Robert Toth, Lockheed Martin’s vice president for strategy and business development for Air Mobility and Maritime Missions.
Lockheed Martin’s manufacturing in India has included the empennage for the C-130 produced in the country, with the last 270 ship sets produced by Tata Advanced Systems Limited. The company has an agreement with TASL to set up final assembly in India. Additionally, a new maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) site being built in India will be completed later this year.
Outside of the India competition, there is “excitement” in Latin America, Pagan says. This is the home turf of the C-130’s main rival, Embraer, though the company points to the Hercules’ long track record of hundreds of aircraft compared to the upstart C-390.
While the latter aircraft has seen increasing momentum, Lockheed argues there have been far more C-130s, including the newest C-130J, in operation globally.
Within the United States, Lockheed Martin projects a requirement of about 200 more aircraft. This includes the U.S. Marine Corps expanding its program of record of KC-130Js, the U.S. Coast Guard expanding its program, the U.S. Navy Reserve moving from C-130Ts to C-130Js and five U.S. Air Force Guard and Reserve units operating older C-130H aircraft that would likely upgrade to the C-130J.
For example, Congress has added funding for the New York Air National Guard to modernize its ski-equipped LC-130s to the LC-130J. The U.S. Navy has also picked the C-130J to be converted to the E-130J for the nuclear Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) mission, with Northrop Grumman leading the effort.
U.S. Special Operations Command has also said it is in the early stages of replacing MC-130Js that had been destroyed inside Iran as part of the rescue of the downed F-15E crew in April 2026.
Outside of military operators, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection is transitioning from P-3s to C-130Js, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is converting from WP-3s to C-130Js.
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