Aircraft · Air
C-130 Hercules
Tactical airlift aircraft family with transport and specialized mission variants.
- Milestones0
- Operators—
- Components—
- Programs—
- Capabilities—
- Inputs—
Photo: U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Larry E. Reid Jr. · Public domain (PD-USGov-Military-Air Force) · Resized and reencoded as WebP; no additional crop. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement. C-130-family photograph; the cost profile specifically covers C-130J.
Timeline
No milestones recorded for C-130 Hercules yet. The timeline fills in as unveilings, tests, contracts and deliveries are sourced.
Cost to the Government
Aircraft · Lockheed Martin
C-130J Super Hercules
The J-model transport cost profile within the broader Hercules family; special-mission AC, HC, MC and tanker KC variants require separate cost records.
Published acquisition / aircraft
$75.5M
FY2018 GAO study · FY2017 USD
Historical fact-sheet figure; not a current replacement quote.
U.S. Air Force ↗Published U.S. fleet snapshot
120
FY2018 GAO study · U.S. only
Dated source population, not operational availability. C-130J excludes other Hercules variants.
GAO ↗Procurement program quantity
178
2019-12 SAR · U.S. only
Includes congressional additions and replacement aircraft; not delivered inventory.
Department of Defense ↗C-130J program R&D total
$390.6M
2019-12 SAR · Then-year USD
U.S. transport program scope; excludes separate special-mission acquisition programs.
Department of Defense ↗Cost & funding breakdown
Average procurement / aircraft
$79.979M
2019-12 SAR · Then-year USD
Procurement average includes support; differs from the fact-sheet aircraft cost.
Department of Defense ↗Reading the cost figures
The fact-sheet acquisition figure uses the dollar basis shown above. GAO’s annual operating and support cost includes a broader ownership scope than the Comptroller reimbursement rate. These figures should not be combined into a single inflation-free trend.
Operations & sustainment
Annual O&S / aircraft
$9.53M / yr
FY2018 · Constant FY2018 USD
Historical average for the source study population; not a marginal mission cost.
GAO ↗Reimbursement / flight hour
$9,980 / hr
FY2026 · Nominal USD; Other DoD Component
Published billing rate for use by another DoD component. It is not the fully burdened cost of ownership.
DoD Comptroller ↗Cost over time · 6 observations
Each row retains its original scope and dollar basis. Changing quantities, service life and inflation can change the estimate without changing the price of building one unit.
| Observation | Measure | Amount | Dollar basis | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2011 | Annual O&S / aircraft Historical average for the source study population; not a marginal mission cost. | $11.23M / yr | Constant FY2018 USD | GAO ↗ |
| FY2018 | Annual O&S / aircraft Historical average for the source study population; not a marginal mission cost. | $9.53M / yr | Constant FY2018 USD | GAO ↗ |
| FY2018 GAO study | Published acquisition / aircraft Historical fact-sheet figure; not a current replacement quote. | $75.5M | FY2017 USD | U.S. Air Force ↗ |
| FY2026 | Reimbursement / flight hour Published billing rate for use by another DoD component. It is not the fully burdened cost of ownership. | $9,980 / hr | Nominal USD; Other DoD Component | DoD Comptroller ↗ |
| 2018-12 SAR | Average procurement / aircraft Prior annual estimate. | $79.742M | Then-year USD | Department of Defense ↗ |
| 2019-12 SAR | Average procurement / aircraft Procurement average includes support; differs from the fact-sheet aircraft cost. | $79.979M | Then-year USD | Department of Defense ↗ |
Contracts & purchasing · 1 records
Award values, ceilings and purchase agreements have different meanings. These records are not added together as total spending.
2011-11-18 · Block 8.1 current contract target, Dec. 2019
U.S. Air Force → Lockheed Martin
$211.3M · quantity not established
FA8625-04-D-6452/7; current target grew from $154.2M as upgrade scope expanded. Not aircraft production procurement.
Department of Defense ↗
International buyers
Germany · 6 · FMS acquisition case reported in SAR · 2018-09-28
Three C-130J-30 and three KC-130J with three years of contractor support; mixed-variant acquisition case.
Department of Defense ↗France · 4 · FMS acquisition case reported in SAR · 2016-02-17
Two C-130J-30 and two KC-130J plus sustainment; mixed-variant acquisition case.
Department of Defense ↗India · 7 · FMS acquisition case reported in SAR · 2014-01-08
Seven C-130J-30 and three years of support in this case; not a total fleet census.
Department of Defense ↗
Coverage & open research
- Figures retain the date and scope of the original source. A historical count, cumulative delivery or procurement plan is not today’s mission-capable inventory.
Unit costs and contract unit prices for this system, and budget figures for the programs that buy it. Each figure states its dollar basis and links its source; contract values are under Programs & awards.