The Marine Corps took delivery of its first three production KC-130J Hercules tankers on Friday August 31st. One of the aircraft left Lockheed-Martin’s Marietta, GA factory for VMGRT-253 at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, NC on Friday September 7th. A second aircraft will fly to Cherry Point today.

A cadre of Integrated Test Team (ITT) Marines at Cherry Point, trained to support the new KC-130Js, will perform acceptance inspections on the two aircraft. Once the inspections are complete, the aircraft will fly to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pax River to begin a six-month integrated Developmental Test (DT) phase with Lockheed-Martin designed to increase the robustness of the tanker package.

The third aircraft will remain at Marietta until the Marines complete acceptance of the first two, and then it will be flown to MCAS Cherry Point to begin its acceptance inspection. A fourth and fifth aircraft in late September, and a sixth and seventh in October will be accepted into the Marine Corps inventory.

Two of these aircraft will join the first two KC-130Js at NAS Pax River to provide a total of four aircraft for the DT phase, a seven-month long Mission Suitability Evaluation (MSE), and a two-month Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL). One aircraft will remain at MCAS Cherry Point as a Hands on Trainer System (HOTS) for maintenance training and two aircraft will remain at Marietta until the integrated DT is completed.

The original KC-130J that was accepted last September (2000) as a HOTS will leave MCAS Cherry Point in October and return to Lockheed-Martin for installation of production refueling pods.

PHOTO CUTLINE

Photo by Lance Cpl. Bradly Shaver

Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Training Squadron 253 has received the new and upgraded $62 million KC-130 J model aircraft from Lockheed Martin Aerospace Industries, Ga. For the next three weeks, VMGRT-253 Marines will be accepting and inspecting this aircraft before it is flown to Naval Air Systems Command Patuxent River, Md. where it will be put through a seven- to nine-month operational and developmental test flight program.