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Doubts about C-130J triggers $62 million contract to determine suitability for US next-gen TACAMO programme

19th April 2023 - 17:30 GMT | by Norbert Neumann in London

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The latest contract seeks to determine whether the C-130J-30 is the right aircraft for the E-XX requirement. (Photo: US DoD)

The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $62 million contract modification to study the suitability of the C-130J aircraft for the E-XX TACAMO programme.

The US Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin a $62 million contract modification for one-time engineering work and studies to identify how the C-130J-30 Super Hercules can be made suitable for the E-XX TACAMO programme.

The aircraft was selected towards the end of 2020 to be the core of the next-generation nuclear C3 programme.

E-XX TACAMO is the USN’s plane that would be responsible for transmitting orders during a crisis from the National Command Authority to the crews of submarines carrying nuclear weapons.

The new contract will ‘provide for rapid execution of non-recurring engineering, to include studies, engineering analysis, airframe analysis