Photo Credit: Thinh Nguyen, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics

The Georgia Senate passed a resolution commemorating the 70th anniversary of the first flight of the Lockheed Martin C-130, manufactured at the company’s facility in Marietta. The resolution declared 2024 the Year of the Super Hercules. The Super Hercules is the modern C-130J, still manufactured at the Lockheed Martin Marietta facility.

The resolution

Senate Resolution 434

By: Senators Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Rhett of the 33rd, Setzler of the 37th, Albers of the 56th and Esteves of the 6th

A RESOLUTION

1. Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the first flight of the Lockheed Martin C-130
2. Hercules transport aircraft; and for other purposes.

3. WHEREAS, the General Assembly of the State of Georgia joins citizens across the state, the
4. nation, and the world to recognize the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transport aircraft,
5. which has made a global impact for the past 70 years through military, civil, and
6. humanitarian missions; and

7. WHEREAS, the Lockheed YC-130 Hercules prototype took its first flight on August 23,
8. 1954, and has remained in continuous production ever since; and

9. WHEREAS, Lockheed Martin’s Marietta, Georgia, plant has manufactured every production
10. C-130 Hercules aircraft, the longest continuous military aircraft production line in world
11. history; and

12. WHEREAS, more than 2,600 C-130 Hercules aircraft have been produced in Marietta and
13. flown by 70 countries across six continents, including all of the armed forces of the United
14. States, to deliver help and hope across the world; and
15. WHEREAS, Lockheed Martin’s Marietta team members currently produce the C-130J Super
16. Hercules, the most advanced Hercules aircraft ever built; and

17. WHEREAS, production of the C-130J supports the careers of thousands of Georgians, in
18. fields such as advanced manufacturing, engineering, artificial intelligence, data analytics,
19. information technology, finance, and operations; and

20. WHEREAS, the C-130J Super Hercules is critical to Georgia’s aerospace product portfolio,
21. being the state’s top export; and

22. WHEREAS, Lockheed Martin continues to support C-130 production by investing in
23. Georgia’s secondary education and undergraduate workforce pipelines in science,
24. technology, and engineering fields; and

25. WHEREAS, Lockheed Martin partners with University System of Georgia and Technical
26. College System of Georgia institutions to conduct research and expand access to job ready
27. training; and

28. WHEREAS, Lockheed Martin is growing its Georgia-based team, including its classified
29. workforce, employing more than 6,000 state residents and creating high-tech jobs; and

30. WHEREAS, Georgians will proudly continue to produce C-130 aircraft for many years to
31. come.

32. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body
33. commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first flight of the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules
34. transport aircraft, acknowledge that the future of the Hercules’ legacy lies with the C-130J
35. Super Hercules, and recognize 2024 as the Year of the Super Hercules.

36. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
37. to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Lockheed Martin.

Lockheed Martin and Cobb County

The Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta has been a major employer in Cobb County since 1951, when the Lockheed Corporation, a predecessor of Lockheed Martin, took over the former site of the WWII Bell Bomber plant.

The C-130 program is the largest program operating at the Marietta facility. The plant currently produces the C-130J Super Hercules (see the company’s Fast Facts on the C-130J or C-30J brochure for more information).

The Marietta plant also provides ongoing support for the C-5 Galaxy, which celebrated its 50^th year in operation in 2018. The C-5 Galaxy is expected to remain in service until 2045.

The Marietta location also supports the P-3 Orion, and manufactures the center wings for the F-35.