Lockheed Martin has delivered the first C-130J-30 Super Hercules to the U.S. Navy for conversion into the E-130J Phoenix II, marking the first hardware handover in the service’s planned transition of the Take Charge and Move Out, or TACAMO, mission from the E-6B Mercury.
The aircraft was delivered on October 15 at Lockheed Martin’s facility in Marietta, Georgia. It is one of an initial three-aircraft procurement acquired by the Navy in September 2024, according to Defence Industry Europe’s report.
The E-130J is intended to provide secure, survivable communications linking the president, secretary of defense and U.S. Strategic Command with the Navy’s ballistic missile submarine fleet during a crisis or conflict. The Navy’s TACAMO mission supports airborne transmission of emergency action messages.
The delivered airframe is not yet an operational E-130J. Northrop Grumman will lead the conversion as prime contractor and mission-systems integrator, while Collins Aerospace will provide the Very Low Frequency communications systems. The aircraft will undergo post-delivery processing, mission-system modification, ground testing and developmental flight testing before fielding.
Lockheed Martin said the C-130J-30’s four-engine design, range, payload capacity and fuel efficiency support the Navy’s requirements. The company also described the platform as adding advanced avionics, communications and survivability features to the Hercules family’s earlier TACAMO role.
Strategic Communications Wing 1 at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, will operate and maintain the modernized fleet. The wing currently operates E-6B Mercury aircraft and also supports the airborne command post mission known as Looking Glass, Lockheed Martin said in a company release carried by PR Newswire.