Lockheed Martin executives breathed a collective sigh of relief yesterday as the C-130J Hercules finally received full certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) after one of the most comprehensive programmes ever for an aircraft.
The priority now is to get the aircraft to its first customers, the Royal Australian Air Force and the US Air Force, says Hercules programme vice-president Bill Bernstein.
"This has been an extensive effort for the company, our suppliers and for the FAA.
By improving performance under the harshest of conditions, we automatically enhance performance for normal operations - though its hard to define a 'normal' mission for the C-130J."
Source: Flight Daily News
