Although the description of the resulting aircraft is that they have “reduced aircrew capability,” one of the requirements for the contract is that they be able to fly takeoff to touchdown without human intervention.

• READ MORE: Merlin Developing Autonomous Flight Tech With Air Force Pilot Input

“The contract award marks a milestone in the collaboration between USSOCOM and Merlin, accelerating our ability to bring high levels of autonomy to a variety of fixed wing platforms to support the warfighter,” said Merlin CEO Matt George in a news release.

The contract is apparently designed to get these aircraft in USSOCOM’s hands as quickly as possible. Since it’s never been done before, the contract is an indefinite delivery, indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract that presumably frees the contractor to create the end product without a lot of government folks looking over their shoulders.

• READ MORE: Merlin Advances Toward Autonomous Flight Tech STC with Simulator 

“The magnitude of the contract is an important proof point that USSOCOM continues to bring innovative capabilities out of testing and into production track programs,” said George.

Merlin has a similar deal with the Air Force to automate KC-135 tankers.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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During the two-hour humanitarian joint operation Saturday, more than 38,000 meals ready to eat (MREs) were dropped from U.S. C-130s along the Gaza coastline, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).

• READ MORE: The Goodness of Colonel Halvorsen, the Candy Bomber

The coastline locations were chosen specifically as areas thought to allow civilians the best access to the aid, senior administration officials said Saturday, adding that the drop was the first of a series.

The United Nations said the drop zone was in a territory where at least 576,000 civilians are a step away from famine conditions five months into the Israel-Hamas war, Reuters reported.

• READ MORE: Georgia ANG Takes Delivery of First C-130J-30 Super Hercules

The nearly 70 pallets of aid bundles were prepared by the U.S. Army’s 165th Quartermaster Company at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia on Friday and rigged with parachutes before they were loaded onto the C-130Js, the Air Force said. Each airlifter carried 22 pallets.

• READ MORE: Pentagon Confirms U.S. Flying Surveillance Drones Over Gaza

“The DOD [Department of Defense] humanitarian airdrops contribute to ongoing U.S. government efforts to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to the people in Gaza,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “We are conducting planning for potential follow-on airborne aid delivery missions. These airdrops are part of a sustained effort to get more aid into Gaza, including by expanding the flow of aid through land corridors and routes.”

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The cargo aircraft—one of RNoAF’s four C-130J-30s to be retrofitted with the Block 8.1 software and hardware expansion upgrades—was ferried from Lockheed Martin’s facility in Greenville, South Carolina, to Gardermoen Air Station, Norway (ENGM), where the service’s fleet of Super Hercules aircraft are based.

Between 2008 and 2012, RNoAF received a fleet of five Super Hercules airlifters, but one was later lost in a crash.

• READ MORE: Georgia ANG Takes Delivery of First C-130J-30 Super Hercules 

According to Lockheed Martin, the upgraded version of the stretch variant of the C-130J, which boasts an additional 15 feet of cargo space, will increase RNoAF’s interoperability in the Nordic region. The aircraft is capable of supporting personnel and equipment transport, cold weather operations, aeromedical airlift, and special operations.

The Block 8.1 upgrades include  a new flight management system that complies with CNS/ATM mandates and features vertical navigation with coupled auto throttle, civil GPS, ground power modes, updated Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), CNS/ATM data link, and enhanced intercommunication, , approach, and landing systems.

• READ MORE: NATO Conducts ‘Find, Fix, Track, Target’ Exercise Over Poland

“Norway’s C-130J-30 fleet is a national asset with tremendous regional reach and impact, supporting critical missions with NATO, European Union, and global Super Hercules partners,” said Danya Trent, vice president of international programs for the air mobility and maritime missions at Lockheed Martin. “As security demands increase, the Royal Norwegian Air Force C-130J-30 fleet must always be prepared to support any mission requirement. The Block 8.1 upgrade ensures Norway’s Super Hercules fleet is mission-ready at any given time, delivering unprecedented reach, protection, and connection.”

• READ MORE: Philippine Air Force to Buy 3 C-130J-30 Airlifters

More than 540 C-130J Super Hercules airlifters have been delivered to operators across 22 countries, Lockheed Martin said.

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The Department of National Defense (DND) of the Philippines on Tuesday issued a notice to proceed with the purchase, which marks an enhancement in the PAF’s tactical and transport capabilities.

• READ MORE: Air Force Tests C-130H Digital Panel Upgrades

“The acquisition started in 2021, as part of the Second Horizon of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Program. The project was awarded to Lockheed Martin, an American aerospace, arms defense, information security, and technology corporation,” DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong told the Philippine News Agency.

PAF first began operating C-130 aircraft in the 1970s and uses its mixed fleet for humanitarian, military, and natural disaster relief missions in the Indo-Pacific region.

“The addition of the C-130J-30 to the inventory is a significant leap forward in terms of achieving a credible defense posture,” Andolong said.

• READ MORE: Czech Republic Sets Eyes on Embraer C-390 for Military Transport

The C-130J-30 variant is a stretch version of the C-130J, boasting an additional 15 feet of cargo space. Deliveries will begin in 2026, according to Lockheed Martin.

“Philippine Air Force crews have long demonstrated what the C-130 is designed to do: go everywhere—in any condition—to deliver hope and help where it’s needed most,” Rod McLean, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s air mobility and maritime missions, said in a statement. 

With the PAF order, the C-130J Super Hercules will operate in 22 countries.

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USAF’s Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia issued the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for the C-130J Super Hercules sustainment support effort.

The C-130J is powered by four Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprops and entered the USAF fleet in February 1999. The service currently has 121 versions of the aircraft.

“This contract provides for contractor logistics support and sustainment of the C-130J aircraft fleet,” the DOD said. 

• READ MORE: USAF Hits Target With Missile Dropped From Cargo Plane

Contract work will be performed at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Georgia. 

More Work for Lockheed

Lockheed Martin also announced Monday that it will build the new LMXT strategic tanker aircraft in Marietta, as well as in Mobile, Alabama.

The tanker, which was introduced in September, is the company’s offering for USAF’s KC-Y Bridge Tanker Program competition.

As prime contractor, Lockheed Martin said the LMXT will be built on the design of the Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft in two phases:

• Phase 1: The LMXT will be produced as an A330 airliner at Airbus’ Mobile, Alabama, facility, which is where Airbus A320 and A220 commercial airliners are built.
• Phase 2: In the second phase,  the commercial aircraft will be converted into the LMXT tanker at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics’ Marietta, Georgia, facility, which is currently home to the C-130J Super Hercules final production and F-35 Lightning II center wing assembly lines.

“Establishing this production work in Alabama and Georgia confirms Lockheed Martin’s commitment that the LMXT will be built in America, by Americans, for Americans,” Lockheed Martin chairman, president, and CEO James Taiclet said in a statement. “The LMXT will strengthen global security by enabling our U.S. service members to carry out their most critical missions at extended ranges.”

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