USMC in Japan gets new KC-130J tanker

MARIETTA, Ga., Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin said Monday it had handed over a KC-130J air tanker to the U.S. Marine Corps Squadron in Japan.

"Aerial Refueling and Transport Squadron 152 -- VMGR-152 -- Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, took delivery of its first KC-130J on Sept. 30. This delivery is the 27th KC-130J to be delivered to the USMC," the company said in a statement.

“The United States Marine Corps has certainly set a very high standard for operational tempo with their KC-130Js,” said Ross Reynolds, vice president of C-130 programs for Lockheed Martin.

“Many of the coalition operations in Southwest Asia would not be possible without the air-to-air and ground refueling missions that the KC-130Js perform day in and day out,” Reynolds said.

"The USMC Air Expeditionary Force has had six KC-130Js in theater since February 2005. During this deployment the KC-130J crews have flown 8,854 sorties totaling 17,398 flight hours. In August of this year they set a deployment one month record with 318 sorties, logged 621.9 flying hours, off-loaded 127,014 pounds of cargo, transported 718 personnel, and passed 6,002,600 pounds of fuel," Lockheed Martin said.

Lockheed Martin said that the aircraft handed over on Sept. 30 would "join another KC-130J that was transferred to Futenma from VMGR-352, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, for training flight and maintenance personnel.

VMGR-152 is scheduled to receive 12 KC-130Js in total," the company said.