The US Coast Guard will receive three HC-130J Super Hercules rescue aircraft under a contract announced by Lockheed Martin on 1 October 2012. This purchase will increase the Coast Guard fleet of HC-130Js from six to nine aircraft. The contract also includes funding for two mission suites, which consist of a mission system operator station located behind the pilot and copilot, a belly-mounted 360-degree long range search radar, a nose-mounted, forward looking infrared radar, and an advanced mission communications suite. The current Coast Guard HC-130J fleet is based at CGAS Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The new HC-130Js are scheduled to be delivered in early 2015.
