The U.S. Navy announced it awarded the contract to Northrop Grumman to conduct mission-systems integration for the E-130J that will replace the E-6B in the TACAMO mission.
Northrop Grumman has been selected as the prime contractor for the E-130J NC3 (Nuclear Command, Control and Communications) aircraft which will perform the US Navy’s TACAMO (Take Charge And Move Out) mission. The development comes just a month after the news that first C-130J-30 Hercules earmarked for conversion into an E-130J TACAMO aircraft is now in production.
Together with the contract announcement, a new rendering has now been released, with some differences compared to the concept released in 2022 by Lockheed Martin. That concept included the trailing wires of the VLF antenna, enlarged and extended landing gear fairings, multiple domes extending both from the top and the bottom fuselage and fairings for other equipment on the wingtips.
The two trailing wires are obviously still present, while the landing gear fairings have been further extended to host more equipment, reaching the forward crew door. The domes on the bottom of the fuselage are not visible, while the ones on the top have a different shape. The fairings on the wingtips have also been removed.
The contract
The contract, under which Northrop Grumman will integrate TACAMO mission systems for the E-130J, is said to be worth $3.549 billion. The TACAMO mission systems include a myriad of different subsystems, such as the Collins Aerospace Very Low Frequency system, and will be integrated into Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 aircraft.
Thus, alongside Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Collins Aerospace are also listed as subcontractors since the former makes the base airframe, while the latter makes one of the most crucial parts of the TACAMO system. The current contract includes three EDMs (Engineering Development Models), with a possibility of up to three more SDTA (System Demonstration Test Articles), as well as up to six aircraft in the first lot of the E-130J, says the Navy.
The @USNavy and @NAVAIRNews have selected our team to deliver the E-130J TACAMO Recapitalization aircraft. https://t.co/bnZOfDfqHH pic.twitter.com/UpHliG94E8
— Northrop Grumman (@NGCNews) December 19, 2024
“With the selection of Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation as the prime contractor for the TACAMO Recapitalization Program, we are ready to move out with developing this critical asset,” said Capt. Adam Scott, the program manager of PMA-271(the Navy’s Airborne Strategic Command, Control and Communications Program Office). “In carrying on the legacy of the E-6B Mercury, the E-130J will ensure our nation’s leadership is always connected to its nuclear forces for decades to come.”
The contract award comes slightly over a year after PMA-271 filed a request for proposals on Sep. 21, 2023. According to the Navy’s official press statement, the winner was selected “based on the proposal that offered the best value to the government, considering the offeror’s technical approach and cost.”
According to Northrop Grumman’s press release, the company has “invested more than $1 billion in digital engineering and manufacturing capabilities that will assist in rapidly designing, building, testing and sustaining the E-130J.” The company already has extensive partnership with the US Navy – it currently supports the branch’s E-2C/D Hawkeyes, MQ-4C Tritons, as well as the E-6B Mercury, which the E-130J will replace.
The E-130J
A dedicated communications platform, TACAMO aircraft feature the ability to communicate on virtually every radio frequency band from very low frequency (VLF) up through advanced extremely high frequency (AEHF) using a variety of modulations, encryptions and networks, minimizing the likelihood an emergency message being jammed by an enemy. This mission is critical in the deterrence and management of a nuclear conflict.
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The E-130J is designated as the successor to the E-6B Mercury. The E-6 replaced the EC-130Q in the TACAMO role and the EC-135 in the ‘Looking Glass’ role, while the Air Force’s E-4 replaced it in the ABNCP (AirBorne Nuclear Command Post) role. Although the E-6 was upgraded to E-6B standard in 1998, and again updated by Northrop Grumman under the IMMC (Integrated Modification and Maintenance Contract) beginning in 2023, it is expected to reach the end of its service life by the 2030s.
The aircraft is not to be confused with the recently retired EC-130J Commando Solo, whose role was to conduct airborne information operations via digital and analog radio and TV broadcasts. The new E-130J is slated to enter service by 2028, while the E-6Bs are to carry out flying missions until at least 2030 for a smooth transition into the new airframe.
Initially, the Air Force and Navy wanted to procure a common replacement aircraft for both the E-6 and E-4, as well as the C-32A, under the NEAT (National airborne operations center, Executive airlift, Airborne nuclear command post, Take charge and move out) program, but eventually it became apparent that the Air Force and Navy requirements would not fit on the same aircraft.
In Dec. 2020, the Navy announced that the C-130J-30 would be the base airframe for the next-generation TACAMO aircraft, while the Air Force would go on to procure the E-4C, based on the 747-8i airframe. The E-130J will focus solely on the TACAMO mission set, and the E-4C SAOC (Survivable Airborne Operations Center) will take up the ‘Looking Glass’ and ABNCP roles.
Although physically smaller than the current E-6B, the elimination of the requirement of the ABNCP and ‘Looking Glass’ systems would allow the EC-130J to focus solely on the TACAMO mission and reduce the number of crew and equipment needed on board, allowing all systems to fit into a C-130J-30 airframe. Furthermore, the rugged C-130 would allow it to be operated from more austere airfields, and fit the ACE (Agile Combat Employment) doctrine that the US military is currently exploring.
In the FY2024 (Fiscal Year 2024) budget request, the Navy described the TACAMO mission as one that “provides an airborne capability for survivable, endurable and reliable airborne command, control and communications between the United States (U.S.) National Command Authority (NCA) and the U.S. strategic forces.”
Planned capabilities include an upgrade in EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) and cybersecurity, as well as an improved version of the trailing wire communications system currently aboard the E-6B, which allows for direct communication with nuclear submarines. The wires are deployed in a very characteristic flight path, dubbed the “one dozen loops”. This flight path indicates employment of the long trailing wire to communicate with nuclear submarines.
Yesterday a US Navy E-6B TACAMO performed a routine mission over the northeast Pacific. The track shows the characteristic one-dozen loops indicating employment of the long trailing antenna used to communicate with nuclear ballistic missile submarines.
— Hans Kristensen (@nukestrat.bsky.social) December 1, 2024 at 7:12 PM
