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Türkiye has begun maintenance procedures for 12 C-130J military transport aircraft acquired from the United Kingdom, the Ministry of National Defense announced on Thursday.
The extended-fuselage C-130J aircraft, retired from the British Royal Air Force (RAF) inventory, were delivered to a contractor in the UK for maintenance and modernization work before their phased transfer to the Turkish Air Force, according to Ministry spokesman Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk.
"The aircraft will be gradually incorporated into our Air Force inventory following the completion of maintenance and modernization in the United Kingdom under the signed contract," Akturk said during a weekly press briefing at the Ministry.
"Additionally, maintenance and upkeep of the C-130J aircraft will be carried out with domestic and national resources following Type Training," he noted.
Türkiye has been negotiating with the UK for some time to acquire surplus aircraft as part of efforts to strengthen its military transport capabilities. The new aircraft will help reduce operational burden on Türkiye's existing Airbus A400M fleet while providing enhanced tactical air supply, personnel transport, and medical evacuation capabilities.
The Turkish Air Force currently operates a fleet of C-130 aircraft, including C-130B and C-130E variants. The addition of C-130J variants represents a logical progression, with existing maintenance and logistics infrastructure facilitating smooth integration.
Türkiye has been operating C-130s since 1964, when its first four C-130Es were delivered. The fleet grew slowly with more C-130Es until 1991, when six ex-U.S. Air Force C-130Bs were purchased. Another six C-130Es were then acquired from Saudi Arabia in 2011, all operated by 222 'Alev' squadron from Erkilet International Airport in Kayseri.
The British Ministry of Defense's Defense Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) decided to sell the C-130J fleet after the UK acquired A400M Atlas military transport aircraft, making the C-130J units surplus to requirements.
The DESA performed maintenance on the aircraft before sale, including the replacement of critical components such as the Center Wing Box, to increase market interest and aircraft value.
The British Royal Air Force ordered its first C-130J aircraft in 1994, with the initial order consisting of 10 standard C-130J and 15 extended-fuselage C-130J-30 aircraft. The first C-130J-30 was delivered to the British Royal Air Force in August 1998 and arrived at RAF Lyneham Air Base on Nov. 21, 1999.
The Turkish Air Force currently operates approximately 10 A400M aircraft, nearly 40 CN-235 CASA aircraft and about 20 C-130 aircraft.
The C-130J acquisition will enhance the force's power projection capability in both quantity and quality.
The C-130J-30 variant features an extended fuselage compared to the standard C-130J, enabling it to carry two additional pallets of payload in the cargo compartment.
The aircraft has a service ceiling of 26,000 feet with 20.2 tons of payload, a cruise speed of 645 kilometers per hour at 22,000 feet altitude and a maximum takeoff weight of 70 tons.
Akturk also announced that the Land Forces Command completed inspection and acceptance activities for various quantities of Sensor Reconnaissance, Radar and Command vehicles, which were added to inventory.
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