The Thirties Head to Ed.

Lockheed Martin has delivered the first three C-130J-30s to the US Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California, to begin testing to certify the aircraft's airdrop mission capability -- deploying paratroops and supplies from either the side doors or rear loading ramp from a range of altitudes (the aircraft's navigation system was designed to allow the aircrew to drop with pinpoint accuracy). The aircraft is based on the C-130J model, but features a `stretched' fuselage that is 457.2 cm longer than the standard, and the J-30 can carry 128 combat troops instead of 92, and 92 paratroops instead of the usual 64 carried by the standard C-130J. It can also handle eight 463L pallets (vice six), 97 medical litters (from 74) and 24 container delivery system bundles, eight more than the standard 16.

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