Lockheed Martin to showcase the F-16, C-130J, P-3 Orion and CMS 330 at Chile’s Exponaval

Lockheed Martin will present at the XII International Naval and Maritime Exhibition and Conference for Latin America, Exponaval 2022, the F-16 Fighting Falcon multirole combat aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, the P-3 Orion aero maritime exploration aircraft, and the capabilities of the CMS 330 combat management system.

The company told Infodefensa.com that its stand would feature models of these aircraft, which in the case of the Fighting Falcon, are in service in their F-16 MLU and Block 50 variants with the Chilean Air Force (FACh) while the Chilean Navy’s Naval Aviation uses the P-3ACh Orion.

Lockheed Martin is working with Empresa Nacional de Aeronaútica (Enaer) to provide comprehensive maintenance support for the F-16 multirole aircraft and with the FACh to increase affordability, community, and compatibility across its fleet.

Regarding the modernization of this flight hardware, a process that was announced in 2019 and stalled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Lockheed Martin indicated at the time that it was willing to partner with Chile for the upgrade and development of aircraft capabilities.

As for the P-3 Orion, the company delivered the wing assemblies for the two aircraft owned by the Chilean Navy, extending their useful life to more than 15,000 flight hours.

The modernization work was carried out by the Canadian company IMP Aerospace at its facilities in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from January 2017 to April 2021.

C-130J SUPER HERCULES

Regarding the C-130J Super Hercules, the company offers the Latin American market its certified multi-mission versatility, proven operational performance, true global presence, recognized capabilities, and proven reliability.

This aircraft features state-of-the-art technology that reduces maintenance requirements and operating and support costs, providing flight-material life-cycle savings compared to previous C-130 models.

The Super Hercules has 17 configurations, including military and commercial transport, search and rescue, electronic warfare, in-flight refueling, natural disaster support, and humanitarian aid delivery.

Its manufacturer highlights its 24/7 customer service center; field support team; full catalog of aeronautical capabilities for post-production upgrades; worldwide component upgrade/supply, logistics, and technical solutions; and data analytics for advanced predictive fleet operations optimization.

CMS 330

Lockheed Martin will also present videos, images, and technical information on the CMS 330 combat management system and the integration capabilities currently supporting this technology solution deployed on the three Type 23 anti-submarine frigates of the Chilean Navy’s Escuadra Nacional.

The North American company was the main contractor for the Pidaa project, which included the modernization of the command and control, sensors, and local and point anti-aircraft defense systems of these ships.

The work was developed in conjunction with Asmar at the Talcahuano industrial plant from March 2018 to October 2021.

This advanced open architecture CMS allows the integration of a wide variety of state-of-the-art combat subsystems and can handle different types of elements and threats simultaneously without loss of performance.

In addition to Chile, it serves Canada’s Halifax-class and New Zealand’s Anzac-class frigates.

The system was designed as a modern and affordable technological solution for new ships or mid-life modernizations and has demonstrated successful integration of third-party components such as Saab’s 9LV radar, Thales’ Smart-S, Hensoldt’s TRS-4D or Raytheon’s ESSM, MBDA’s CAMM and Boeing’s Harpoon Block II missiles.

It can be installed on platforms with different system boundaries, operating consoles, and subsystems.

It has fully interchangeable multifunction workstations allowing functions to be available on any of the consoles, allowing the commander to easily assign tasks according to the situation.