Lockheed Martin’s LM-100J commercial freighter—the civilian variant of the C-130J Super Hercules—received its FAA type design update certification on Friday. The LM-100J is a modernized version of the company’s C-130-based L-100 freighter, of which more than 100 were produced between 1964 and 1992. Upgrades to the LM-100J include better fuel efficiency, improved payload and range, automated maintenance fault reporting and an integrated Head-Up Display (HUD).
“Like its military counterparts, the worldwide L-100 fleet is much tasked and much relied upon,” said Rod McLean, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Air Mobility & Maritime Missions line of business. “As this fleet reaches the end of its operating life, customers told us the only replacement for the L-100 is an LM-100J. This updated FAA certification enables the LM-100J to literally go anywhere in the world to fulfill the unique and demanding requirements it was built to support.”
According to Lockheed Martin, the C-130J model has accrued more than 2 million fleetwide flight hours. The LM-100J variant is powered by four Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 engines and has a 50,000-pound payload, range of 2390 NM and maximum cruise speed of 355 knots. The first two LM-100Js are scheduled to be delivered to launch customer Pallas Aviation in 2020.
