Lockheed Martin’s C-130 Hercules is celebrating 70 years since its first flight. It is the longest-running military aircraft production program in history, according to Rod McLean, general manager of Lockheed’s Marietta plant.
Lockheed officials kicked off celebrations of the C-130J “Year of the Super Hercules” with a resolution presentation on Georgia Aerospace Day at the Gold Dome Tuesday.
As part of the event, Rep. Teri Anulewicz, D-Smyrna, chair of the Cobb County Legislative Delegation, and Sen. Kay Kirkpatrick, R-east Cobb, presented resolutions honoring Lockheed Martin and the C-130 Hercules.
Credit: Thinh D. Nguyen
Credit: Thinh D. Nguyen
“Because of your support, here at the Gold Dome, we are able to ensure the state of Georgia remains a national leader in aerospace research, development and manufacturing,” McLean said. “For 70 years, the Hercules has been Georgia’s aerospace ambassador to the world, delivering over 2,700 airplanes to more than 70 different customers and operators worldwide. It truly is a worldwide platform.”
McLean said he anticipates Lockheed will continue to build the C-130 for many years to come.
“It’s amazing that we have been in production for over 70 years, and there’s a very strong chance that we will build this airplane for the next 10 years,” he said.
Every production of the Hercules has been built at Lockheed’s Marietta production facility.
McLean said the Marietta plant has been able to construct the C-130 plane for so long due to the partnership the firm has with local government, as well as its employees.
McLean also said that more customers are purchasing the C-130, including those in Indonesia and the Philippines.
By the numbers
The C-130J is considered “the most advanced Hercules ever built,” according to Lockheed Martin. The C-130J was introduced in 1999, and since then, more than 520 C-130Js have been built at the Marietta plant, and over 2.5 million flight hours have been logged from the newest version of the plane, known as the “Super Hercules.”
The C-130J sits 38 feet 10 inches tall, has a wingspan of 132 feet seven inches long, and at a maximum payload of 42,000 pounds, has a range of 2,071 miles, according to the U.S. Air Force. Powered by four Rolls-Royce turboprop engines that produce 4,700 horsepower each, the plane can travel up to 417 miles per hour at 22,000 feet.
At the back is a large loading ramp and door which allows the plane to carry oversized cargo, including armored vehicles, and allows the plane to be used in an aerial delivery role, where loads up to 42,000 pounds can be dropped from the air.
Could the C-130 be replaced?
With the plane marking its 70th anniversary, there were questions concerning any possible replacement of the C-130. McLean said initial studies have been conducted for a next-generation air lifter and a next-generation air refueling system. The next-generation air lifter should take its first flight in the 2040s, he said.
“We have a team here in Marietta that have started some preliminary studies to support the Air Force’s analysis of alternatives, and over time that opportunity will mature into the first flight of the brand new airplane in the mid-2030s,” he said.
McLean said Lockheed’s Marietta plant is the ideal location for large aircraft manufacturing, compared to other sites.
“The C-130’s not the end of it,” Kirkpatrick said. “We passed Senate Bill 6 a few years ago that allows us to compete for the next generation of aircraft that are being constructed. There is a future for other aircraft in Marietta as well.”
Kirkpatrick said Senate Bill 6, which was signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2021, allows Lockheed Martin and other aerospace companies to compete for federal grants handed out for development of future aircraft.
“It also helps Lockheed here in Marietta be more competitive among all the other Lockheed facilities in North America,” Anulewicz said.
Credit: Thinh D. Nguyen
Credit: Thinh D. Nguyen
McLean said Lockheed Martin can receive tax incentives for a project once they have brought in the required number of employees and have shown the investments made to facilities in Marietta.
Anulewicz said she viewed herself as an “evangelist” for Lockheed Martin and Dobbins Air Reserve Base.
“If you’re simply driving by that base, whether you’re on South Cobb, Atlanta Road, Cobb Parkway, it’s very easy to whiz by and not understand how profound the impact is on our community,” Anulewicz said. “The impact with jobs, the economic impact, what it means to bring some of the brightest people in the world to come here to Cobb County, the impact is immeasurable.”
Anulewicz said Lockheed Martin and Dobbins has even impacted her family.
“We live in the flight path of the C-130s when they’re coming home at night,” Anulewicz said. “My son is now at Georgia Tech studying aerospace engineering in large part because we grew up so close to Lockheed and Dobbins.”
Kirkpatrick emphasized the importance of Dobbins Air Reserve Base to the health of Cobb County.
“We’ve got all branches of the military there, we’ve got Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Research Institute there, it’s a hub for disaster recovery for the southeastern United States and incredibly important to the economy, the culture and the personality of Cobb County,” she said.
Kirkpatrick also praised Lockheed Martin’s Marietta leadership, saying that the county has been very fortunate to have leaders engaged in the Cobb County community.
According to Lockheed Martin, over 5,500 employees work at the Marietta plant, which produces a $4.4 billion economic impact to the state.
Credit: Marietta Daily Journal
Credit: Marietta Daily Journal
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