Mike RO
I have flown many 1000s of hours on the old K, most in the TAC AT role, and more recently accrued nearly a 1000 in the J. Most of the misinformed comments about the J seem to come from the BZN Antiques Roadshow mates so I have not bothered to reply.
I dont think you can be serious, the K difficult to fly and trim at low level? Its a babe. I have been fortunate to fly the J in its early stages of TAC AT development, and believe me it is even better. One example being its better rate of climb during weather penetrations. As for the workload issue, the pilot non flying spends little time heads in, trained crews can quickly manipulate the kit if required, and re-routes are more quickly sorted. The workload for both pilots is much less than on a K. Furthermore, the ac is showing excellent NVG potential. However, it is acknowledged that for a small number of mission profiles, such as SF high level of difficulty, then a 3rd pilot may be carried.
As for the MTOW issue, the J is limited to a max normal of 155 000lbs, as are all other C130s except the K. The 160 000 lbs clearance for normal ops was never endorsed by Lockheed. However, there is work being done to clear the J to a normal MTOW of 167 000lbs.
I have also trained many pilots on the J and I have yet to find one that would return to the K. Take a ride in one and see.