MARIETTA, Ga., March 27, 2014 – The Republic of Korea ushered in a new era in air mobility today with the delivery of the country’s first two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft at the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] facility here. With today’s delivery, South Korea became the 14th country to fly the proven C-130J.

South Korea’s new Super Hercules will be operated by Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) aircrews, which currently operate a fleet of C-130H legacy aircraft.

“For almost three decades, Republic of Korea Air Force crews have relied on C-130s to support humanitarian and peacekeeping missions in the Pacific Rim region. The arrival of South Korea’s new Super Hercules fleet ensures that these critical missions not only will continue, but extend for many more decades the added capabilities only the C-130J can provide,” said George Shultz, vice president and general manager, C-130 Programs. “Lockheed Martin values its longtime partnership with South Korea and we are honored to welcome it to the Super Hercules family.”

The ROKAF’s new Super Hercules is the longer fuselage or “stretched” combat delivery variant. Lockheed Martin is also contracted to provide a two-year support program to the ROKAF, including C-130J aircrew and maintenance training.

Sixteen countries have chosen the C-130J Super Hercules to meet their air mobility needs. With more than 1 million flight hours, the C-130J is the standard by which all other airlift is measured in terms of availability, flexibility and reliability. Over the past decade, C-130Js have been deployed in two combat theaters where they operate at a very high tempo efficiently and reliably.

In non-combat — but equally harsh environments — C-130Js are often the first to support humanitarian missions such as search and rescue, aerial firefighting in the U.S., and delivering relief supplies after earthquakes, hurricanes, typhoons and tsunamis around the world.