At the Farnborough International Airshow in 2014, US aerospace and defence behemoth, Lockheed Martin Corporation presented for the first time the LM-100J commercial freighter. The Ireland-based ASL Aviation Group picked up ten of these aircraft expressing confidence in the US group’s civilian freighter programme.

The LM-100J is the civil-certified version of Lockheed Martin’s proven C-130J Super Hercules and is an updated version of the L-100 (or L-382) cargo aircraft. In January this year, Lockheed Martin officials submitted a ‘programme notification letter’ to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), for a type design update for the Lockheed Martin Model L-382J airplane, a civil-certified variant of the C-130J Super Hercules to be marketed as the LM-100J. Lockheed said it had asked the FAA to certify the LM-100J, which will mirror the four-engine C-130J military workhorse, but without military avionics and communications equipment.

“The significance of that kick off is that we are expanding the capability of the C-130 enterprise into the commercial arena. That opens up a different market to us,” said Jack Crisler, Vice President of Business Development for Lockheed’s Air Mobility, Special Operations and Maritime Programs.

SAFAIR HAS LARGEST L-100 FLEET

Safair, an ASL associated company based in South Africa, currently operates one of the world’s largest L-100 fleet. After the signing ceremony, the Chief Executive of ASL Aviation Group said, “We have long relied on our L-100s to deliver results that no other aircraft can produce. From flying humanitarian relief supplies over rugged African terrain to transporting key cargo within Europe and around the world. No other plane can do what a Hercules can do. Based on the world’s most proven airlifter, the LM-100J enables us to continue to support our global customers and position our company for the future with increased capabilities that only the LM-100J can deliver. We take pride in our legacy L-100 fleet and eagerly look forward to our future as LM-100J operators.”

“Today is a monumental day in the history of the Hercules as we have the opportunity to start a new era in operations with ASL Aviation Group,” said Orlando Carvalho, Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. “As an L-100 operator, ASL Aviation Group knows the flexibility and reliability that only a Hercules can deliver. ASL’s LM-100Js will offer these attributes and more, helping Safair crews transport literally anything, anywhere, at any time in a technologically advanced airlifter that goes farther and faster than its predecessors. We are honoured and excited to share this milestone with ASL.”

MULTI-ROLE PLATFORM

The LM-100J, through select design innovations, will perform as a civil multi-purpose air freighter capable of rapid and efficient transport of cargo. The LM-100J is an efficient and ideal airlift solution for delivering bulk and oversize cargo particularly to austere locations worldwide.

The LM-100J incorporates technological developments and improvements over the existing L-100s that results from years of C-130J operational experience, including more than one million fleet-wide flight hours. The result of this experience and advancement translates to an aircraft that will deliver reliable service in a multi-role platform for decades to come.

“With the LM-100J, we are leveraging the proven technology and capabilities of the C-130J Super Hercules to offer a modern, flexible commercial aircraft that is ready to deliver freight and support critical civilian missions, anywhere, anytime,” said Jack Crisler.

As it is based on the operational C-130J, the civil variant LM-100J can operate from short, unprepared airfields without ground support equipment. It requires minimal material handling equipment and enables rapid loading and offloading at truck-bed height. Growth provisions built into the LM-100J will enable it to support a variety of future missions including aerial spray, aerial firefighting and delivery, medevac/air ambulance, humanitarian aid and VIP transport.

CRITICAL CARGO ASET

“The LM-100J is a natural expansion of the Super Hercules family. It is a modern answer to the existing, multi-tasked L-100 airlift fleet which, true to Hercules form, is a workhorse that has been a critical cargo asset for 40 years,” said George Shultz, Vice President and General Manager, C-130 Programs. “Our customers and legacy L-100 operators tell us that the best replacement for an L-100 is an advanced version of the same aircraft. The LM-100J is that aircraft.”

Lockheed’s announcement of a modified commercial variant of the C-130J comes during a down time for sales of military aircraft, its primary specialisation. Crisler said the LM-100J will be ready to “deliver freight and support critical civilian missions anywhere, anytime,” an indication that the company could be seeking to boost commercial sales amid large military spending cuts by the United States.

The ASL Aviation Group is a well-established global aviation group providing an unrivalled array of aviation services. The group of aviation companies includes Irish airline Air Contractors, French-based airline Europe Airpost and a long-standing association and shareholding in South African airline and L-100 Hercules operator, Safair. There are two UK-based support service companies in the group, ACLAS Global and Air Contractors Engineering and also various leasing entities. The group’s operations are worldwide with the airlines operating a mixed fleet of wide body, short haul and turboprop passenger and cargo aircraft under their own brands and for a number of leading airlines. ASL Aviation Group has a fleet of more than 80 aircraft and generated a total operating revenue of $500 million in 2013. ASL is a joint venture between CMB (51 per cent) and 3P Air Freighters (49 per cent).

AIRLIFTER IN 16 COUNTRIES

Lockheed Martin’s LM-100J is currently the airlifter of choice with 16 nations. Through select design changes, the LM-100J will perform as a civil multi-purpose air freighter capable of rapid and efficient transport of cargo. The company expects to sell about 75 of the planes to mining and energy companies, and other commercial and government customers in coming years. More than 100 L-100s, which were the commercial variant of the first generation C-130, were produced from 1964-92 at the then Lockheed-Georgia Co, Marietta, Georgia, facility. Many of those airlifters are still operated worldwide by commercial and government customers.

PROTOTYPE BY 2017

Lockheed’s Orlando Carvalho said that the LM-100J was in the mid-1960s million-dollar price tag. An order for ten LM- 100J would therefore be between $600 million and $700 million. An LM-100J prototype will be built and flight tested, probably at the C-130 factory near Marietta, starting in the first half of 2017.

GLOBAL FREIGHTER FORECAST

Boeing in a forecast on world freighter market said that over the next 20 years, world air cargo traffic will grow 4.7 per cent per year. Annual growth rate in air freight, including express traffic, will average 4.8 per cent measured in RTKs. Airmail traffic will grow much more slowly, averaging 1 per cent annual growth through 2033. Overall, world air cargo traffic will increase from 207.8 billion RTKs in 2013 to 521.8 billion in 2033.

With increased air cargo traffic, the world freighter fleet is also expected to grow with deliveries of 840 new factory-built airplanes and 1,330 passenger to freighter conversion airplanes. More than 52 per cent of those deliveries are expected to replace retiring airplanes and the remainder used for growth.