RE: AeroMechanical Wins Its First Hercules ContracThis is GREAT news "AMA hopes to springboard off this contract into other Hercules fleets." What a huge market to get into - military HAVE to spend whatever the economy is doing.
Veteran C-130 Hercules remains at heart of US airlift
Even in a time of increasing pressure on military budgets, few active production aircraft enjoy an outlook as good as the Lockheed Martin C-130J.
Within this year's third quarter, the US Air Force has finalised plans to not only continue buying the most modern version of the 55-year-old tactical airlifter for several years, but also to boost dramatically annual purchases.
At the minimum, the USAF has confirmed a plan to replace more than 200 ageing C-130Es with 172 C-130Js for the basic mission of combat delivery. With 89 aircraft already ordered, that means the USAF plans to buy another 83 aircraft. Negotiations between the USAF and Lockheed began in late August on a new multi-year procurement deal.
But that is likely to be just the beginning. The USAF inventory of C-130s of all types slightly exceeds 600 aircraft, and a vast portion must be either replaced or upgraded with new cockpits and centre wing boxes by 2020. The combination of requirements is creating a micro-economy within the defence industry, with new players vying to support this emerging need for at least the next decade.
https://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/09/09/315694/veteran-c-130-hercules-remains-at-heart-of-us-airlift.html