At ceremonies held Wednesday at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Georgia, company officials formally delivered four C-130J Super Hercules airlifters to the State of Qatar.

The Qatar Emiri Air Force's new Super Hercules are the longer fuselage or "stretched" variant of the C-130J.

The aircraft will be used for humanitarian relief and military missions for the defense of the State of Qatar.

The new airlift fleet will ferry to Qatar in October.

It is a historic day for both the Qatar Armed Forces and Lockheed Martin as we welcome Qatar into the global C-130 family," said Lorraine Martin, Lockheed Martin Vice President for C-130 programs. "This acquisition of a fleet of C-130Js provides Qatar with a highly flexible airlift capability.  As the first C-130J operator in the Middle-East, Qatar takes a unique place in C-130 history".

This is Qatar's first experience with C-130s and Lockheed Martin is providing a complete solution package. "The package includes the four aircraft; aircrew and maintenance training; spares; ground support and test equipment; and a team of technical specialists who will be based in Qatar during an initial support period", Martin added.

 

For more information, check Al-Defaiya Issue # 5/2011