A Herculean effort

The RAF has been using the Lockheed Martin C-130J airlifter for over ten years.  With operational commitments that range from the Gulf to the South Atlantic, the RAF aircraft rapidly rack up flying hour milestones and therefore place increasing demands on the engineering teams.

The RAF operate a fleet of 14 ‘K’ version aircraft powered by the Rolls-Royce T56 engine , alongside 24 of the latest ‘J’ versions powered by the Rolls-Royce AE2100.

Rolls-Royce is contracted to provide engine availability for the RAF’s C-130 fleet through to 2030.  The contract is managed from Bristol, UK, with support from Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis,US, home of the T56 and AE2100 engines.