The US Air Force has introduced a new Special Mission Display Processor (SMDP) for the C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft at Robins AFB, Georgia.
It has been developed to ensure the plane’s protection, situational awareness, and network in the aerial domain.
The system leverages a tactical radio mesh, enabling communication between the crew, ground troops, and vessels in real time.
According to the Air Force Sustainment Center’s 580th Software Engineering Squadron (SWES), the SMDP incorporates a large display, multi-mode color radar, and digital maps.
It also integrates night vision functionalities for operations in darker conditions.
‘Monumental’ Project
The SMDP’s launch followed the US Air Force and C-130J developer Lockheed Martin’s partnership with California-based Green Hills Software to produce an onboard operating system for the aircraft.
Based on Green Hills’ INTEGRITY-178 product, the platform aids operators in managing the flow of both secured and unsecured information between the Super Hercules’ systems.
“This software provides an important increase to the government’s ability to produce software changes for the C-130 enterprise and assist our industry partner, Lockheed Martin, that are proprietors of the software,” 580th SWES Technical specialist Jacob Lunce explained.
“We are excited about the initial operational capability of the SMDP. This massive achievement, which has been in development since 2019, has large implications for the aircraft’s software and hardware.”
The C-130J Super Hercules
The US Air Force noted that the C-130J Super Hercules has completed more than 1.2 million international flight hours to date.
The aircraft is present in 68 countries and active under the US Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and NASA.
The plane is built for aerial replenishment, firefighting, and special rescue missions in addition to troop, cargo, and equipment logistics.
Its fuselage measures 30 meters (98.4 feet) while its wings are 40.4 meters (132.7 feet) wide.
The Super Hercules is powered by four 4,637-horsepower Rolls-Royce engines for a top speed of 362 knots (670 kilometers/417 per hour), an altitude of 12,309 meters (40,386 feet), and transport of up to 92 passengers or 19,050 kilograms (42,000 pounds) of payload.
