Egypt has confirmed an order for two new C-130J-30 Super Hercules transport aircraft from Lockheed Martin, making it the 23rd country to acquire the type.
The announcement was made at the Egypt International Air Show on 5 September. The procurement will be completed via Washington’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system and comes two years after the US Senate approved the sale of up to a dozen Super Hercules to the North African country.
The US State Department originally approved the potential $2.2 billion sale of 12 aircraft in January 2022, which was followed by Senate approval two months later in spite of human rights concerns resulting from the detention of political prisoners.
Egypt’s Air Force is a legacy Hercules operator, having one of the world’s largest C-130H fleets. Approximately 22 C-130H and three C-130H-30S remain in service, after being delivered between 1976 and 1990. Lockheed Martin in a press release said this fleet “has a significant presence in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region, supporting military, peacekeeping, humanitarian and natural disaster response mission requirements.”
Egypt joins seven MENA operators that have chosen the C-130J as a preferred medium-sized tactical airlifter and tanker.
“With these new C-130J-30s, the Egyptian Air Force’s tactical airlift presence will deliver unmatched capabilities and aligned force amplification to serve Egypt, North Africa and the world,” said Rod McLean, Vice President and General Manager of Lockheed Martin’s Air Mobility & Maritime Missions line of business.
Egypt is expected to use the new aircraft to assist with border security, the interdiction of terrorist elements, rapid reaction to internal security threats, and humanitarian aid. Egypt also intends to use the aircraft for maritime patrol missions and search and rescue missions in the region.
Over the last decade, Egypt has been gradually enhancing its airlift fleet, for instance receiving two second hand Ilyushin Il-76MF transport aircraft from Jordan in mid-2019. Other transports in Egyptian Air Force service include several An-74TK-200As, two dozen C-295Ms, several DHC-5D Buffalos and a number of Boeing 707 tanker/transports.
The Super Hercules represents a significant advancement over the legacy C-130 Hercules, featuring modernised design elements, enhanced performance, and advanced avionics. Introduced in 1999, the C-130J is powered by more efficient Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprop engines, offering improved speed, range, and payload capacity. Its digital cockpit includes advanced avionics and dual head-up displays that enhance situational awareness and reduce pilot workload.
Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 545 C-130Js and the Super Hercules global fleet has surpassed more than 3 million flight hours.
