Lockheed Martin has received a contract worth almost $565 million to produce an additional six C-130J-30 tactical transports for the Indian air force.
“The total cumulative face value of the contract is $2.06 billion,” says the US Department of Defense of the Foreign Military Sales deal. India’s Defence Acquisition Council had cleared the acquisition in September 2013.
Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2017, with the new aircraft to be operated from Panagarh air base in India’s eastern state of West Bengal.
India placed its first, $1.2 billion order for six C-130Js in late 2008, with the special mission-configured transports having entered use at Hindon air base by 2011. New Delhi has chosen not to order an additional aircraft to replace aircraft KC-3803, which crashed in March this year.
Source: Flight International
