Overview
- The Navy formally accepted the first newly manufactured C-130J-30 at Lockheed Martin’s Marietta facility on Thursday, beginning the airframe’s conversion to the E-130J Phoenix II.
- Northrop Grumman will lead mission-systems integration and Collins Aerospace will supply the Very Low Frequency radios that let TACAMO reach submerged ballistic missile submarines.
- The aircraft is one of three C-130J-30s the Navy bought in September 2024 and will enter mission-system modification, ground testing, and developmental flight testing before it is fielded.
- Strategic Communications Wing 1 sailors at Tinker Air Force Base will operate and maintain the modernized TACAMO fleet, shifting duties from the older E-6B Mercury to the new platform.
- Adopting the C-130J-30 offers greater range, payload and fuel efficiency for the TACAMO mission, though contractors still face integration risks such as equipment size, weight, power and cooling constraints.