Georgia ANG Takes Delivery of First C-130J-30 Super Hercules

The Georgia Air National Guard’s first C-130J Super Hercules, tail number 5975, is staged in front of a Lockheed Martin hangar in Marietta on Monday for a delivery ceremony display. [Courtesy: Georgia Air National Guard]

The Georgia Air National Guard's 165th Airlift Wing took delivery of its first C-130J-30 Super Hercules on Monday, becoming the first fleet of the aircraft in the state.

The stretch variant of the C-130J boasts an additional 15 feet of cargo space. The delivery is the first of eight of the aircraft ordered intended to support the strategic and tactical airlift mission of the ANG, which has one of the most active C-130 fleets in the world.

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The delivery also marks the first of the aircraft received by the U.S. Air Force in the Block 8.1 configuration during its initial production. The configuration features a new flight management system, enhanced navigation and intercommunication systems, and updated friend-or-foe identification, and improves interoperability across the fleet, according to manufacturer Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin delivered the first of eight C-130J-30 Super Hercules airlifters to the Georgia Air National Guard on Monday, January 22. From left are U.S. Representative Austin Scott (R-Ga.); Colonel Sheldon Wilson, commander of the 165th Airlift Wing; Major General Thomas Carden, adjutant general of the Georgia Department of Defense; Major General Konata Crumbly, commander of the Georgia Air National Guard; and Rod McLean, vice president and general manager of Air Mobility & Maritime Missions for Lockheed Martin. [Courtesy: Lockheed Martin]

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"This new aircraft also represents a major increase in capability for the men and women of Georgia's Air National Guard, who will now count the most advanced C-130 ever built as part of its newest fleet," U.S. Representative Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) said during a “Georgia Built, Georgia Flown” themed event Monday at Lockheed Martin's facility in Marietta.