Germany is considering buying up to 6 new Lockheed Martin C-130J turboprop military transport aircraft. The planes would be operated jointly with France, which would go against the vision of a fully European airlift capability, especially after the delays of Airbus A400M.

The German Ministry of Defense said that an agreement was signed with its French counterpart on the 4th of October regarding the possible purchase of several C-130Js. This deal could possibly be worth around half a billion euros, considering that France has allocated €330 million ($370 million) for four C-130Js.

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Lockheed Martin delivers 2,500th C-130 Hercules
Lockheed Martin delivered the 2,500th C-130 Hercules from its production line. This landmark Hercules is an HC-130J Combat King II personnel recovery aircraft assigned to the U.S. Air Force’s 71st Rescue Squadron, which is part of the 347th Rescue Group. A U.S. Air Force crew ferried the HC-130J to its new home at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Georgia.
 

There have been talks about Germany possibly buying used C-130J from Britain, but a source in Germany’s Ministry of Defense said that they would probably opt for a purchase of up to six planes directly from Lockheed Martin.