The civilian version of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules military airlift aircraft, the LM-100J, made its maiden flight on May 25, the company announced on the same day. This first flight was from the company’s plant at Marietta, in the US state of Georgia, during which the aircraft followed the same test flight route, over northern Georgia and the adjacent state of Alabama, used for all C-130Js. “I was proud to fly the first flight of our LM-100J,” highlighted LM-100J programme chief test pilot Wayne Roberts. “It performed flawlessly, as is typical of our military C-130J new production aircraft.”

ASL Aviation, which holds 25% of South African air freight and specialist aviation services company Safair Operations (which is also the parent of low-cost carrier FlySafair), signed a letter of intent with Lockheed Martin in 2014 for ten LM-100Js. (However, ASL Aviation/Safair is not the launch customer for the LM-100J. That launch customer has been secured, but its identity has not yet been revealed. Safair is expected to be the second customer for the LM-100J.)

The LM-100J is intended to replace the L-100, which was the civilian version of the previous generations of the C-130 Hercules, and which was manufactured from 1964 to 1992. More than a hundred L-100s were built, and sold to commercial and government operators worldwide. Safair currently operates six L10030 aircraft, which are operated around the world, and describes itself as “currently the leading commercial operator of the Lockheed Hercules aircraft”.

“The first flight is a source of pride for Lockheed Martin and serves as a proof point to the ongoing versatility of the Super Hercules aircraft,” affirmed group air mobility and maritime missions VP and GM (and Marietta site GM) George Schultz. “I’m continually impressed by the commitment to quality and relevance that our employees, industry partners, and customers have invested into the LM-100J. Like its military counterpart, the LM-100J is exceeding all expectations in terms of performance and capabilities.”

The first flight will be followed by initial production flight tests. Thereafter, it will start a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certificate update flight test programme. Lockheed Martin notified the FAA back in late January 2014 that it would be seeking a type design update for the LM-100J.

The company pointed out that the LM-100J is the seventeenth different “mission capability” developed for the Super Hercules. It will serve as a multipurpose commercial cargo aircraft for bulk and oversize air freight, especially to austere destinations around the world.

“This new model will perform many commercial roles in the decades to come, like humanitarian service following natural disasters and others like nuclear accident response, oil spill containment and firefighting,” pointed out Roberts. “This aircraft will also enable remote area development, such as mining and oil and gas exploration.” It will also be able to carry out medical evacuation flights and even be able to transport VIPs.

“The LM-100J incorporates technological developments and improvements over the existing L-100s that result from years of C-130J operational experience, including more than 1.5-million fleetwide flight hours,” stated the company in its press release. “The result of this experience and advancement translates into an aircraft that will deliver reliable service in a multirole platform for decades to come.”