MARIETTA, Ga., June 8 (UPI) -- A team led by Lockheed Martin Wednesday proposed using a shorter version of the venerable C-130 Hercules for the U.S. military's Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) project.
The short-fuselage C-130J has the capability, Lockheed said in a news release, to perform the short-runway operations required of the U.S. Army and Air Force in the JCA program.
"Our C-130J solution meets or exceeds all JCA performance requirements and provides a solid cornerstone for the transformation of the Army's fixed wing fleet," said Lockheed Vice President Rob Weiss.
Lockheed is in competition for the project with Raytheon and EADS North America, which earlier Wednesday proposed its own twin-engine aircraft as the eventual replacement for the United States' aging fleet of smaller cargo planes.
Once deployed, the JCA plane will perform cargo and personnel hauling for missions that either don't require larger planes like the C-5 Galaxy and full-sized C-130, or involve remote short-runway airfields that can't accommodate the bigger planes.
Weiss said the Lockheed plane performed well in test-flights on high-elevation fields during hot weather and showed "unmatched engine-out survivability and capability."
"We are especially looking forward to the flight evaluation phase of the JCA competition where we'll have an opportunity to demonstrate the tremendous capabilities of the C-130J such as meeting the 600-mile, 26,000-pound aerial delivery requirement," Weiss said.
The Raytheon entry, the C-295 and CN-235, have seen extensive service in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans; however industry publications have concurred that the Air Force is attracted to the idea of the shortened C-130's more-familiar training, maintenance and logistical requirements.
