Lockheed Martin completes Australia C-130J-30 Block 8.1.1 upgrade
The Block 8.1.1 upgrade includes improvements to aircraft's communications and navigation suite and other systems. (Commonwealth of Australia/AC Ivan Smotrov)
Australia's fleet of 12 C-130J-30 Hercules has been upgraded to the Block 8.1.1 standard, with the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) declaring Final Operational Capability (FOC) for the tactical transports.
“The Block 8.1 upgrades will ensure the aircraft remain at the forefront of capability until deliveries of Australia's expanded replacement fleet of 20 new C-130J Hercules aircraft begin later this decade,” the DoD said on 17 December.
The fleet of 12 C-130J-30 aircraft is operated by the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF's) No 37 Squadron at RAAF Base Richmond in New South Wales. The completion of the programme (delivered under Australia's Project Air 5440) comes nearly four years after the first Block 8.1.1. RAAF C-130J-30 was returned from the United States to Australia in January 2022.
The first aircraft was upgraded by Lockheed Martin in the US with support from the United States Air Force (USAF). According to the DoD, the remaining 11 aircraft were modified at RAAF Base Richmond by C-130J sustainment partner Airbus Australia Pacific.
The Block 8.1.1 upgrade contains software and hardware expansions. These include upgrades to the aircraft's communications and navigation suite, integrated satellite voice, new high-frequency radios, civil datalink, GPS, and improved instrument approach capabilities, according to Lockheed Martin and the DoD.
“The C-130J Full Flight Simulator has also been upgraded, with system modifications completed by CAE Australia,” the DoD added.
“The completion of the Block 8.1.1 upgrade … ensures the RAAF's C-130J fleet remains at the forefront of tactical airlift capabilities, providing critical support for Australia's military operations and humanitarian missions,” said Trish Pagan, vice-president and general manager, Air Mobility and Maritime Missions, Lockheed Martin, in a statement on 18 December.
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