Lockheed protests C-130J exclusion from JCA contest
 

I can't think why the US Army wouldn't want the C-130J. Wonderful aircraft! :ugh: :\

See Flight International here:

http://www.flightglobal.com/Articles/2006/08/23/Navigation/177/208569/Lockheed+Martin+launches+official+protest+over+US+Army's+exc lusion+of+C-130J+Hercules+from+Joint.html

Go on then MRB, give us all the benifit of your vast experiance of the J and tell us just what is wrong with it:=

all spelling mistakes are "df" alcohol induced

It´s inter-service politics. The army wants a smaller 2 engined aircraft with maintenance farmed out to the manufacturer. With the scale of the programme, the army would stay in charge even if the USAF bought some.

If the C-130 were purchased the USAF would perform the maintenance and, because of their other purchases, have the upper hand in the programme - and training, and logistics, and no doubt want to man a combined fleet for "economy of scale" etc.

Interestingly, the USAF originally said it was interested in the programme because its C-130s in Iraq and Afghanistan are operating at under a 50% load factor and it would be more economic to have and operate a smaller aircraft....

So, better, for the army, to kill the option off now......