Lockheed Martin formally rolled out the first of five C-130J-30 Super Hercules tactical transports for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) at its production facility in Marietta, Georgia, on February 15.
The aircraft (NZ7011) initially entered the paint shop on December 8, 2023, but it was formally rolled out after it received the RNZAF roundel and the mariner’s compass emblem that is associated with the type’s future operational unit, No 40 Squadron, which currently operates New Zealand’s three remaining legacy C-130H(NZ) Hercules airlifters from RNZAF Base Auckland. According to the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), the second C-130J-30 is now ready to receive its operational RNZAF livery and will soon undergo the process.
In 2020, Wellington signed a $1.5bn deal covering the procurement of five C-130J-30s to replace its ageing fleet of five C-130H(NZ) transports, the first of which entered operational service in March 1965. New Zealand retired its first two legacy Hercules (NZ7003 and NZ7004) in February and November 2023, respectively.
The first C-130J-30 is scheduled to be handed over to the RNZAF before the end of this year, with deliveries expected to be completed in 2025. In preparation for its new Super Hercules fleet, the first three RNZAF aircrews have now been trained and certified after being embedded within the USAF’s 19th Airlift Wing (AW) at Little Rock AFB in Arkansas.
