Top Pilot

Lockheed Martin today delivered the first HC-130J Combat King II to Air Combat Command, according to a company statement.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz flew the aircraft from a Lockheed Martin aeronautics facility in Marietta, GA, to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, AZ, today, according to the statement. It is the first of 11 aircraft that are currently on order.

"It's an honor to have flown this magnificent aircraft from Marietta today," Schwartz said during the ceremony. "It's a significant milestone for the personnel recovery and the combat search and rescue community. The capability of the HC-130 Combat King II is an order of magnitude greater than any of its predecessors, and I have to tell you it's certainly better than any Herc[ules] of any variety that I have ever flown."

The new aircraft -- based on the KC-130J tanker -- has the enhanced service life wing, an enhanced cargo handling system, a universal aerial refueling receptacle slipway installation, an electro-optical/infrared sensor, a company systems operations station and dual satellite communications, according to the statement. The aircraft's initial operational capability date is 2012.