Herculean effort as Marshall ticks ‘world first’ box for Lockheed Martin

Leaders from Marshall and Lockheed Martin gathered to mark the achievement during the annual Hercules Orion Conference in Atlanta, located near the C-130 production line in Marietta, Georgia.

Marshall has completed nearly 80 centre wing box replacements since 2004 and remains the only organisation to have performed these highly complex procedures on both legacy C-130 platforms and the current production model C-130J Super Hercules. Furthermore, no other organisations have successfully completed a C-130J centre wing box replacement outside the United States.

Bob Baxter, Chief Growth Officer, Marshall, said: “We are incredibly proud to have added yet another world-first to our C-130 engineering credentials. This recognition from Lockheed Martin reinforces our position as an industry leader in non-standard repair and replacement and demonstrates the strength of our capability enhancement offering.”

The purpose of a centre wing box replacement is to extend the operational life of an aircraft. The centre wing is a major primary structure of an aircraft, referred to as a ‘lifed article.’

The original centre wings fitted during aircraft manufacture have a lifespan of approximately 19,000 hours. Installing a new enhanced service life centre wing effectively re-lifes the aircraft, maintaining airworthiness and potentially extending its lifespan by decades.

Other Marshall C-130 world-firsts – all featuring Lockheed Martin – are:-

First authorised Lockheed Martin Hercules Service Centre for legacy C-130 B-H

First authorised Lockheed Martin Heavy Maintenance Centre for C-130J Super Hercules

First OEM approval from Lockheed Martin for in-house manufacture of C-130J parts

Lockheed Martin supplies Marshall with service bulletins, bespoke tooling and kits with all of the parts and components required to perform the replacement on the aircraft.

While the original centre wing is removed, interfacing structures and main frames are thoroughly inspected and serviced before the enhanced service life centre wing is installed and the internal wiring and plumbing is replaced.

Rod McLean, vice president and general manager of the Air Mobility & Maritime Missions Line of Business at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, was full of praise for the company’s Cambridge partner.

He said: “Recognising Marshall as the first Lockheed Martin-approved Centre of Excellence for its work leading the C-130 centre wing box replacement program is a natural choice.

“Marshall is a vital part of the C-130 Hercules community because it embodies a commitment to excellence in C-130 maintenance and support, ensuring these versatile aircraft continue to serve operators reliably and efficiently in meeting global mission demands.”

Marshall is currently conducting centre wing replacements on 12 C-130J aircraft – eight of which have been completed, with a further four to go. Due to the various modifications that the aircraft have undergone, specialist adaptations to the process have been required for this fleet to ensure a seamless integration.

Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group has supported the global C-130 fleet since 1966. The company was the first authorised C-130 service centre in the world and also has the distinction of being the first C-130J Super Hercules service centre.

The C-130 Hercules is the global choice in tactical airlift and refuelling as reflected by operators in almost 70 nations.

With a global fleet of 2,700 C-130s surpassing 25 million flight hours, the Hercules is regarded as unmatched in its presence and performance.

To date, Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 555 C-130Js and the Super Hercules global fleet has surpassed more than three million flight hours.

• PHOTOGRAPH: Bob Baxter, Chief Growth Officer at Marshall and Mark Jarvis, Director of International Programs (Europe, Americas, Pacific Rim), Lockheed Martin Air Mobility & Maritime Missions, at the 2024 Hercules Orion Conference. Photograph courtesy – Marshall.