The American aerospace company Lockheed Martin has announced that Egypt received one of its latest tactical airlift aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules, according to the RT Arabic website.
The company wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday: “The Arab Republic of Egypt has become the 23rd nation to join the Super Hercules operator community. Congratulations to the Egyptian Air Force on enhancing its fleet with two C-130J-30s.”
More than two years ago, the US Department of Defense announced that the US State Department had approved a potential arms sale to Egypt worth $2.5 billion, which included air defense radars and C-130 Super Hercules aircraft manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the website stated.
A statement in January 2022 explained that the State Department had decided to approve the sale of 12 C-130J Super Hercules military aircraft to the Egyptian government and related equipment at an estimated cost of $2.2 billion.
It stated that this proposed sale would enhance Egypt’s ability to address current and future threats by providing airlift support to its forces through the transportation of supplies, equipment, and personnel, thereby enhancing its security and humanitarian capabilities.
It added that this airlift capability would assist in border security, preventing terrorist elements, responding rapidly to internal security threats, and providing humanitarian assistance. Egypt also intends to use these aircraft for maritime patrol and search and rescue missions.
Egypt currently operates a mix of older C-130 models.
Main image credit: https://x.com/LMMiddleEast
