L3 Vertex Aerospace is being awarded an $8.9 million contract to provide Kuwait with maintenance and logistics on the KC-130J Hercules tanker aircraft, the Department of Defense announced on Wednesday.

The contract applies toward equipment and logistical support for three KC-130J tankers operated by Kuwait and falls under foreign military sales funding guidelines. The contract is expected to expire in August 2022.

The KC-130J Hercules tanker is designed for mid-air refueling of military aircraft to extend their range and loitering time.

It is based on the original C-130 Hercules, a prop-driven cargo plane that has been in service with upgrades since 1954. The C-130 has been widely exported around the world and has been produced in many variants including cargo, gunship and refueling roles.

The KC-130J is capable of strike actions using the Harvest Hawk weapons pod. Harvest Hawk is a surveillance, intelligence and targeting unit that gives the KC-130J the ability to launch laser-guided Hellfire and Griffin missiles.

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Search on for five missing in US Army chopper crash

Military aircraft were searching the seas off Hawaii for five crewmembers of a US Army helicopter that went missing earlier in the week, the Army said Thursday.

The UH-60 helicopter was reported missing while conducting a night-time training exercise Tuesday evening off the island of Oahu.

It had been taking part in a mission with another helicopter when it disappeared from radio and vis … read more