Türkiye to Receive 12 Ex-RAF C-130J Super Hercules Aircraft Expanding Tactical Airlift
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Türkiye has finalized the transfer of twelve former Royal Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft for modernization before joining its air force. The move strengthens Ankara’s airlift capacity and reinforces defense cooperation with the United Kingdom.
On 16 October 2025, Türkiye confirmed that twelve ex-RAF C-130J Super Hercules airlifters have been handed over to a UK company for pre-delivery maintenance and modernization, ahead of phased induction into the Turkish Air Force. The announcement follows months of reporting on Ankara’s plan to augment its tactical airlift, and comes as the RAF completes disposal of its Hercules fleet. The move matters because it immediately addresses a near-to-mid-term lift gap between Türkiye’s light CN235s and heavy A400Ms while deepening industrial and military cooperation with the UK. The development was communicated during the Ministry of National Defence’s weekly briefing and shared via official channels, as reported by the Official X Account of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of National Defense.
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The C-130J is a four-engine turboprop tactical transport optimized for short and semi-prepared runways, rapid tactical insertion, and airdrop missions. Powered by AE 2100D3 engines driving six-bladed Dowty R391 propellers, the J-series offers improved thrust, fuel efficiency, and digital avionics over legacy Hercules variants (Picture source: Royal British Air Force)
The C-130J is a four-engine turboprop tactical transport optimized for short and semi-prepared runways, rapid tactical insertion, and airdrop missions. Powered by AE 2100D3 engines driving six-bladed Dowty R391 propellers, the J-series offers improved thrust, fuel efficiency, and digital avionics over legacy Hercules variants. In its stretched C-130J-30 configuration, understood to be the bulk of the aircraft Türkiye is acquiring, the platform provides a payload in the 19–20-ton class with enhanced volume for paratroop, palletized cargo, and MEDEVAC layouts, complementing the A400M on larger strategic sorties and offloading tasks from smaller CN235s.
Compared with Türkiye’s existing airlift mix, the C-130J occupies a crucial middle tier. Against the A400M, the Hercules trades outsize cargo capacity for lower operating costs and superior suitability to austere, short-strip operations, ideal for special operations, quick-turn humanitarian relief, and intra-theatre logistics. Against the CN235, the C-130J offers roughly triple-to-quadruple payload and much greater range, enabling fewer sorties for the same tonnage and easing fleet wear. This tiered approach mirrors many NATO air forces’ evolution from legacy C-130H/C-160 fleets to a dual-fleet model pairing a heavy airlifter with a modern Hercules. Quantitatively, Airbus lists the A400M’s 37-tonne payload class, while CN235 references place maximum payload around 5.9 tonnes, framing the C-130J as the pragmatic workhorse between both.
Strategically, the acquisition strengthens NATO interoperability and gives Ankara additional lift to support operations from the Balkans to the Caucasus, the Eastern Mediterranean, and humanitarian deployments beyond. The UK–Türkiye axis benefits as well: London consolidates the RAF’s transition to A400M while channeling sustainment and MRO work to its domestic industry; Ankara accelerates recapitalization with proven airframes while planning to assume routine maintenance at home after type-training. Turkish officials stated that, following maintenance and modernization in the UK, the aircraft will be inducted gradually, with type training paving the way for indigenous upkeep, an approach that shortens time to readiness while building sovereign sustainment capacity.
Türkiye’s choice of the C-130J closes a real capability gap, adds resilience to national and allied logistics, and deepens a defence partnership with tangible industrial and operational dividends. By sequencing UK-based refurbishment with a planned handover to domestic sustainment after type training, Ankara is turning a fleet disposal opportunity into near-term lift at controlled cost, and into a durable bridge between light and heavy airlift for the missions that matter most.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
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Türkiye has finalized the transfer of twelve former Royal Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft for modernization before joining its air force. The move strengthens Ankara’s airlift capacity and reinforces defense cooperation with the United Kingdom.
On 16 October 2025, Türkiye confirmed that twelve ex-RAF C-130J Super Hercules airlifters have been handed over to a UK company for pre-delivery maintenance and modernization, ahead of phased induction into the Turkish Air Force. The announcement follows months of reporting on Ankara’s plan to augment its tactical airlift, and comes as the RAF completes disposal of its Hercules fleet. The move matters because it immediately addresses a near-to-mid-term lift gap between Türkiye’s light CN235s and heavy A400Ms while deepening industrial and military cooperation with the UK. The development was communicated during the Ministry of National Defence’s weekly briefing and shared via official channels, as reported by the Official X Account of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of National Defense.
The C-130J is a four-engine turboprop tactical transport optimized for short and semi-prepared runways, rapid tactical insertion, and airdrop missions. Powered by AE 2100D3 engines driving six-bladed Dowty R391 propellers, the J-series offers improved thrust, fuel efficiency, and digital avionics over legacy Hercules variants (Picture source: Royal British Air Force)
The C-130J is a four-engine turboprop tactical transport optimized for short and semi-prepared runways, rapid tactical insertion, and airdrop missions. Powered by AE 2100D3 engines driving six-bladed Dowty R391 propellers, the J-series offers improved thrust, fuel efficiency, and digital avionics over legacy Hercules variants. In its stretched C-130J-30 configuration, understood to be the bulk of the aircraft Türkiye is acquiring, the platform provides a payload in the 19–20-ton class with enhanced volume for paratroop, palletized cargo, and MEDEVAC layouts, complementing the A400M on larger strategic sorties and offloading tasks from smaller CN235s.
Compared with Türkiye’s existing airlift mix, the C-130J occupies a crucial middle tier. Against the A400M, the Hercules trades outsize cargo capacity for lower operating costs and superior suitability to austere, short-strip operations, ideal for special operations, quick-turn humanitarian relief, and intra-theatre logistics. Against the CN235, the C-130J offers roughly triple-to-quadruple payload and much greater range, enabling fewer sorties for the same tonnage and easing fleet wear. This tiered approach mirrors many NATO air forces’ evolution from legacy C-130H/C-160 fleets to a dual-fleet model pairing a heavy airlifter with a modern Hercules. Quantitatively, Airbus lists the A400M’s 37-tonne payload class, while CN235 references place maximum payload around 5.9 tonnes, framing the C-130J as the pragmatic workhorse between both.
Strategically, the acquisition strengthens NATO interoperability and gives Ankara additional lift to support operations from the Balkans to the Caucasus, the Eastern Mediterranean, and humanitarian deployments beyond. The UK–Türkiye axis benefits as well: London consolidates the RAF’s transition to A400M while channeling sustainment and MRO work to its domestic industry; Ankara accelerates recapitalization with proven airframes while planning to assume routine maintenance at home after type-training. Turkish officials stated that, following maintenance and modernization in the UK, the aircraft will be inducted gradually, with type training paving the way for indigenous upkeep, an approach that shortens time to readiness while building sovereign sustainment capacity.
Türkiye’s choice of the C-130J closes a real capability gap, adds resilience to national and allied logistics, and deepens a defence partnership with tangible industrial and operational dividends. By sequencing UK-based refurbishment with a planned handover to domestic sustainment after type training, Ankara is turning a fleet disposal opportunity into near-term lift at controlled cost, and into a durable bridge between light and heavy airlift for the missions that matter most.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.
