Turkey has confirmed the purchase of 12 military transport aircraft C-130J Hercules, previously in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) of the United Kingdom.
The negotiations were concluded under a bilateral agreement, and the aircraft were sent to a UK facility for maintenance and modernization before joining the Turkish Air Force.
Currently, Turkey already operates older variants of the C-130, including 19 C-130B/E aircraft, some of which have been modernized under the Erciyes program. The C-130J, equipped with four Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3 turboprop engines and a digital cockpit, offers greater fuel efficiency and a cargo capacity of up to 20 tons or more than 90 soldiers, in addition to enabling parachute cargo drops and humanitarian missions.
The new C-130J aircraft will serve to bolster Turkey’s tactical airlift capability and may replace part of the older fleet, although it is not yet defined whether they will have a temporary or permanent role within the Air Force. The aircraft’s versatility allows operations on short, unprepared runways, aerial refueling, and support for special operations.
For the United Kingdom, the transfer marks the final phase of the Hercules fleet’s retirement, which left RAF service in 2023 after more than two decades of operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and various humanitarian missions. The UK’s fleet replacement was carried out by the European model A400M, currently the country’s primary transport aircraft.
Source: UK Defence Journal / Militarnyi | Photo: X @LockheedMartin | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
As part of the efforts related to the acquisition of 12 C-130J aircraft from the United Kingdom, the aircraft have been delivered to the relevant company for maintenance and modernization.#MillîSavunmaBakanlığı pic.twitter.com/C6PPnyJhua
— T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) October 16, 2025
