Lockheed Martin [LMT] is developing a civil variant of its C-130J Super Hercules military cargo aircraft to be designated LM-100J.
Lockheed Martin said Monday it formally submitted a program notification letter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Jan. 21 for a type design update for the L-382J airplane, a civil-certified variant of the C-130J. Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Stephanie Stinn said Tuesday in an email a program notification letter is a formal declaration a company is now developing an airplane while the type design update is a technical description of design updates to the original FAA L-382J civil certification, first obtained in 1998.
The LM-100J is being marketed as a replacement for legacy L-100 aircraft, which was the commercial variant of the first generation C-130. The LM-100J incorporates technological developments and improvements over the existing L-100s at what the company calls a competitive price. Stinn said Lockheed Martin sees its LM-100J target market as all existing L-100 operators, government and companies needing the qualities and capabilities of a C-130J to support their operations in a civilian capacity.
Stinn added the production and certification will include the standard C-130J build span of three years and, concurrently, the FAA certification process. Stinn said Lockheed Martin expects the first LM-100J certification to be complete by 2018 and that LM-100Js will be built on the existing C-130J line in Marietta, Ga., which is also where the original L-100s were built.
The LM-100J will leverage all of the technological advancements found in the C-130J, Stinn said, which includes (as compared to L-100s): 33 percent increased payload, 50 percent greater range, 10 percent faster airspeed, 33 percent reduction in aircrew costs, 15 percent reduction in fuel cost and a 35 percent reduction in maintenance cost. The LM-100J will be a two-person crew versus the L-100’s three-person crew.
Stinn said Lockheed Martin is in discussions with several potential customers regarding LM-100J sales, though she did not go into specifics.