FORT WORTH, Texas, March 16 (UPI) -- The Australian Defense Materiel Organization has contracted Lockheed Martin to provide maintenance services for C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.
U.S. company Lockheed Martin signed the maintenance contract with Australian Aerospace. Under the $292 million contract, Lockheed Martin and Australian Aerospace will provide the Australian air force's fleet of C-130J Super Hercules with maintenance support.
The C-130J Super Hercules, designed and built by Lockheed Martin, is a four-engine turboprop heavy-lift aircraft widely deployed to support the International Security Assistance Force operations in Afghanistan and U.S. operations. The contract with Lockheed Martin includes aircraft maintenance along with engineering support and other requirements.
"This contract will provide innovative solutions to C-130J maintenance and is designed to reduce the cost of ownership into the future," Air Vice Marshal Colin Thorne, Defense Materiel Organization Aerospace Division head, said in a statement.
"The Defense Materiel Organization, Royal Australian Air Force, Australian Aerospace and Lockheed Martin will work closely in order to provide ongoing support to the C-130J aircraft fleet, thereby increasing availability to the air force."
