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HC-130H/J Long Range Surveillance Aircraft
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The Coast Guard’s HC-130H and HC-130J Hercules and Super Hercules Long Range Surveillance (LRS) aircraft provide heavy air transport and meet long-range maritime patrol requirements in vast areas of responsibility.
Why this project?
Upon project completion, the Coast Guard will have a fleet of new, fully missionized HC-130J aircraft and upgraded HC-130H aircraft to help aircrews perform missions more effectively.
Upgrading the HC-130H, a mainstay of the Coast Guard’s air fleet, will extend its service life. The surface search radar proved itself early on, playing key roles in a number of search and rescue cases as well as counter-drug operations soon after being installed on the first HC-130H aircraft.
The HC-130Js have more advanced engine and propellers, which provide a 20 percent increase in speed and altitude, and a 40 percent increase in range over the HC-130H. These new aircraft also feature state-of-the-market avionics, including all-glass cockpit displays, improved navigation equipment. The HC-130Js’ suite of Command, Control, Communication, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) equipment, comparable to that of the HC-144A Ocean Sentry Maritime Patrol Aircraft, helps to extend the fleet’s mission capabilities.
How are the upgrades implemented?
The HC-130H upgrades are being implemented in phases or discrete segments. These aircraft have been equipped with SELEX, upgraded state-of-the-market surface search radar, and are receiving glass cockpit instruments, C4ISR equipment, and new avionics. Some HC-130H aircraft will also get new center wing boxes to extend their service lives through 2027.
Each HC-130J missionization includes an extensive, nine-month refit of its airframe and installation of integrated radar, sensor and communications systems at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Global Sustainment facility in Greenville, S.C.
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