Lockheed Martin hosted a ceremony last week to mark the delivery of the first upgraded KC-130T aerial refueling aircraft to the United States Marine Corps at its Donaldson Site Operations facility in Greenville, SC.

Representatives with the aerospace manufacturer tell ANN the September 14 ceremony was attended by representatives from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, the Defense Contract Management Agency, and Lockheed Martin Aircraft & Logistics Centers (LMALC). The upgrades involved the installation of defensive systems that provide protection against hostile ground threats. This is the first of several aircraft to be similarly modified at the Greenville facility.

"The delivery of this first upgraded aircraft was an example of the outstanding teamwork shown by both Naval Air Systems Command and Lockheed Martin," said Lt. Col. Thomas Kuhn, PMA-207 deputy program manager for the C/KC-130 Hercules. "Our teaming allowed us to work through a lot of challenges and we delivered a vital weapons system to our warfighters on schedule and on budget."

"When Lockheed Martin began discussions with NAVAIR on this effort over a year ago, we were excited at the prospect of supporting the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps on this critical aircraft mod program," said Walt Sirmans, LMALC director of airlift programs. "Delivering the first upgraded aircraft is a result of the team's can-do attitude and great working relationship we share with our NAVAIR customer, and is an example of our commitment to providing capabilities and services that our customers value."

The goal of the upgrade program is to have one standard configuration for the KC-130T's defensive systems and night vision lighting. Once these upgrades are installed, the KC-130T and the newer KC-130Js will have very similar defensive and night vision systems.

FMI: www.lockheedmartin.com, www.navair.mil, www.marines.mil