USCG orders six additional C-130J aircraft for fleet modernisation

HC-130J US Coast Guard Lockheed Martin HC-130J marked as a `C-130J' Aircraft United States (IHS Markit/Paul Jackson)

The US Coast Guard (USCG) ordered six additional baseline Lockheed Martin C-130J long-range surveillance aircraft by “leveraging existing US Air Force [USAF] contracts”, the USCG announced on 2 October 2026.

The 24 September acquisition, part of the USCG's modernisation efforts, expands the service's C-130J fleet to 25 aircraft, with the first aircraft of the order arriving in fiscal year (FY) 2028. All six are expected to arrive by the end of FY 2030.

The Coast Guard funded the acquisition using up to USD735 million of the USD1.412 billion provided by the fiscal year 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act for fixed-wing aircraft, the USCG said.

The USCG will award separate contracts for the modernisation of the C-130J into the HC-130J configuration following delivery of the six aircraft.

Michael Haycock, director of systems integration (CG-SI) at the USCG, said “expanding our fleet supports the most critical Coast Guard missions” which include counternarcotics operations, alien interdictions, and search-and-rescue missions.

The procurement supports the USCG's efforts to expand HC-130J operations beyond its current three air stations (Elizabeth City, North Carolina; Kodiak, Alaska; and Barbers Point, Hawaii) to Air Station Sacramento, California.

The USCG is funded up through 25 HC-130J aircraft, which are meant to enable the service to extend operations fully in Sacramento by fiscal year (FY) 2027 before expanding beyond to Clearwater, Florida, Lieutenant Commander Jeffrey Henkel, deputy programme manager of the USCG's Long-Range Surveillance Program, told Janes in February 2026.

He said at the time that the western coast of the United States has not had an operational C-130 unit since 2016.