Lockheed Martin’s LM-100J civil freighter has completed its first flight, the company has announced. The airplane, part of the Super Hercules cargo line, will perform in a variety of roles, such as firefighting, medevac and VIP transport. It also can deliver bulk and oversize goods to hard-to-reach locations. The first flight went “flawlessly,” said Wayne Roberts, chief test pilot for the program. The LM-100J is an updated version of the L-100 cargo aircraft. Lockheed Martin sold about 100 of the L-100 airplanes from 1964-92.
The LM-100J can operate from short, unprepared airfields without ground support equipment, the company says. It’s driven by four Rolls-Royce AE2100D3 4,591-PSHP turbine engines that turn Dowty R391 six-blade all-composite props. It requires minimal equipment to handle heavy loads, with rapid on-load and offload at truck-bed height. It can fly nonstop up to 2,450 NM at speeds up to 355 knots. The company has saidit has about 25 orders for the airplane.
