Lockheed Martin, a giant American defense corporation, has offered the Indian Air Force a highly specialized variant of the C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft as part of its efforts to enhance operational capability further. This offer, in response to the recent IAF tender of the Medium Transport Aircraft, furthers strategic collaboration with the United States.
India will find C-130J Super Hercules airlifters already in operation since provided under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. These are thus some of the most efficient partners for special-operations purposes, with an advanced capability to conduct precision low-level flights, airdrops, and landings under blackout conditions.
The four-engine turboprop C-130J is uniquely suited for high-altitude airstrips in extreme heat. Heralding the uniqueness, IAF successfully landed one of its C-130Js at Kargil airstrip, close to the Line of Control in the Ladakh region, at an altitude of close to 10,500 feet during a night operation in January.
For Lockheed Martin, the S-130J-SOF leveraged the operating experience of its C-130J in India to a highly customized variant of the aircraft for special forces operations. The new variant this time gives the IAF more versatility in combat and rescue missions.
According to the IDRW report, this new variant has a 30mm cannon, along with the capability for precision-guided missiles, which will bolster its role both in close air support and armed reconnaissance missions. Already a major component of India’s airlift capability, the C-130J offers a payload range in excess of 4,000 nautical miles. New equipment on the S-130J-SOF includes higher effectiveness in its use of defensive countermeasures with superior night vision capability, that considerably enhances India’s capability to counter terrorism and support rescue events of infiltration/exfiltration