Not often I find myself agreeing with Roland, but the SC-130J Sea Herc and HC-130J are two very different beasts Martin.
The former is, as Roland says, still just a concept that offers Level 2 (anti-surface warfare) and Level 3 (anti-submarine warfare) capability, whereas the HC-130J, although fielded by the USCG, is purely a Level 1 maritime surveillance platform with no offensive capability whatsoever (the same is true for other MPAs mentioned previously in this thread - Saab MSA, Boeing MSA to name but two).
I guess it all depends on exactly what kind of MPA we're wanting to field.
Last edited by melmothtw; 28th May 2014 at 14:40.