In total, the Coast Guard has bought 18 Hercules multirole cargo aircraft—and uses them for a variety of purposes, including medical support, disaster rescue, and firefighting.

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules first entered service with the US military in 1956. For nearly 70 years, variants of the iconic aircraft have seen service with the US Air Force, US Navy, USMC, NOAA Hurricane Hunters, International Air Response, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The HC-130J variant is now operated by the United States Coast Guard, which announced this week that it had taken delivery of the 18th and final “missionized” extended-range surveillance and search-and-rescue aircraft. The particular Super Hercules, designated CGNR 2018, received the upgrade at L3Harris Integrated Mission Systems in Waco, Texas, and it will now be used by the US Coast Guard to “support the transition of Air Station Sacramento, California, from C-27J aircraft to HC-130Js,” the service explained.

Currently, three other Coast Guard Air Stations—Elizabeth City, North Carolina; Kodiak, Alaska; and Barbers Point, Hawaii—operate the Super Hercules. The Coast Guard will expand operations with the HC-130J to two additional air stations, beginning with Air Station Sacramento.

About the HC-130J Hercules

• Year Introduced: 2003
• Number Built: 18 (US Coast Guard)
• Length: 97 ft 9 in (29.6 m)
• Wingspan: 132 ft 7 in (40.4 m)
• Weight (MTOW): 164,000 lb (40,369 kg)
• Engines: Four Rolls-Royce AE2100D3 turboprop engines (4,591 shp each)
• Cruise Speed: 320 knots true airspeed (~370 mph, 592 km)
• Range: ~3,500 nautical miles (4,000 mi, 6,482 km)
• Capacity: 35,000 lbs payload; 61,360 lbs fuel capacity
• Crew: 3 officers (pilot, co-pilot, combat system officer) and 2 enlisted loadmasters

The US Coast Guard Has Invested Heavily in the Hercules

The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” signed into law by President Donald Trump last summer, provided $1.142 billion for the Coast Guard to procure additional fixed-wing aircraft, including HC-130Js.

“The investment, combined with early delivery of CGNR 2018, enables the long-range surveillance fleet to expand operations,” the Coast Guard added.

Current plans call for the Coast Guard, which during peacetime is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to operate a total of 25 HC-130J Super Hercules, along with an aircraft simulator and spare parts. The OBBB will also support site activation for the two additional Coast Guard Air Stations.

The existing aircraft were upgraded with the L3Harris Minotaur Mission System Suite (MSS+), which the company stated would provide “a cost-effective standard mission system for simplified training, sustainment, and future upgrades while establishing a common, interoperable configuration and capability across the fleet.” The MSS+ is a non-proprietary, open-architecture airborne missions system.

In addition, the aircraft have been outfitted with Coast Guard-specific multi-mode radar, sensors, and communication systems to enable the service to execute its missions. As part of the Block Upgrade 8.1, the HC-130Js also received new approach and landing systems, expanded diagnostics, and civil GPS.

The role of the aircraft will remain the same: securing and defending the U.S. border and maritime approaches, and responding to crises as needed. The HC-130Js will replace the service’s legacy HC-130Hs, which have been in service since 1968, and are now the longest-serving aircraft in Coast Guard history.

“The HC-130J fleet serves as an on-scene command and control platform or surveillance platform, with the means to detect, classify, and identify objects and share information with operational forces,” the Coast Guard noted.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

Image: Shutterstock / M.J.J. de Vaan.

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