Just days after the purchase of twelve C-130J Super Hercules aircraft by the Turkish Air Force from the United Kingdom was confirmed, it has been announced that Marshall Aerospace has been contracted to provide support for the fleet — a fleet the company is already familiar with, having previously overseen these aircraft following their retirement from the Royal Air Force. According to official statements released by the company, this is a multi-year agreement that includes scheduled maintenance of the acquired aircraft, spare parts, and training for Turkish personnel.
Commenting on the news, Marshall Aerospace CEO Bob Baxter stated: “We are delighted to have signed this contract to keep Turkey’s new modern and world-class tactical airlift fleet ready and mission-capable (…) Today’s announcement highlights our place in the global C-130 community as a leading provider of through-life fleet support.”
It is worth recalling that the same company was involved in the resale process of these aircraft alongside the United Kingdom’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) agency, primarily through maintenance and upgrade work. In particular, Marshall Aerospace was responsible for replacing critical components on the C-130Js during their storage at its Cambridge facilities — a process that included, for example, the replacement of wing parts on each unit.
Similarly, the company emphasized in its official statement that it has participated in a total of eight C-130J acquisition programs for different international customers, providing it with the experience needed to support Turkey’s own program. Among the cases listed was that of the Bangladesh Air Force, which also acquired a total of five aircraft retired by the Royal Air Force to strengthen its airlift capabilities and participate in humanitarian missions, receiving the last of these units in June 2024.
In addition to that case, part of the C-130J fleet retired by the United Kingdom was also transferred to the Royal Bahraini Air Force, which acquired two aircraft — the first of which was delivered in 2018. Furthermore, the UK also finalized the sale of one of these aircraft to the United States, which employs it as a support platform for its “Blue Angels” aerobatic team.
Image credits: RAF – Marshall Aerospace
You may also like: Turkish Air Force F-16 Fighters Continue Testing Aselsan’s New SOM-J Anti-Ship Missile
