Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) delivered a C-130J-30 Super Hercules aircraft destined to become the future of the Take Charge and Move Out (TACAMO) mission at the company’s Marietta, Georgia, facility on 15 October 2026, the company said, marking the start of a new era of strategic airborne command and control capability for the U.S. Navy. TACAMO is the Navy’s airborne nuclear command and control support mission; the C-130J-30 will be modified into the E-130J Phoenix II, the Navy’s next-generation TACAMO mission platform.

Lockheed Martin said the Super Hercules provides the Navy with a domestically produced, reliable, long-endurance, four-engine platform, with advanced avionics, increased power, greater range, fuel efficiency and payload capacity to carry out the TACAMO mission.

“This delivery marks a historic milestone for the U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin, and the nation’s strategic communications network,” said Trish Pagan, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s Air Mobility & Maritime Missions. “The C-130J-30 Super Hercules continues to evolve and adapt to the needs of our customers, carrying the proven reliability of its lineage while transforming into a new, strategic mission set. It is built to deliver the capabilities our joint force demands and built to last through any operational challenge.”

The delivery re-establishes the link between the TACAMO mission and the Hercules family: the EC-130Q variant served as the Navy’s TACAMO platform from 1963 until 1993, and the new Super Hercules builds on that legacy while adding advanced avionics, communications and survivability enhancements.

“The C-130J platform has a storied history supporting our strategic communications mission, and accepting this first C-130J-30 marks an exciting new chapter,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Roger Davis, Airborne Strategic Command, Control and Communications programme manager (PMA-271). “Lockheed Martin’s delivery of this battle-proven airframe provides the structural and performance backbone our mission requires as we transition into mission systems integration to field the E-130J Phoenix II.”

As part of the Super Hercules’ transformation, the aircraft will be transferred to Northrop Grumman, the mission systems integrator, where the E-130J TACAMO industry team will complete the conversion that will see the airframe enter service as the E-130J Phoenix II.

Note: Lockheed Martin describes the C-130J Super Hercules as certified across 20 different mission sets, including airdrop, search and rescue, firefighting, medevac, ISR and special operations, with a global fleet of more than 570 aircraft. This release is dated 16 October 2026, three days before this batch.