The US Air Force has selected StandardAero for a $343 million agreement covering depot-level maintenance and overhaul of Rolls-Royce T56 engines used by C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.The contract includes repair, inspection, and overhaul work for engines, modules, and associated components across multiple T56 configurations. The arrangement is designed to support a large global fleet operated by the US military and allied customers.More than 1,200 C-130 aircraft operated by US forces and 29 foreign military customers depend on the T56 family. Countries supported through the wider fleet include Canada, Italy, and Taiwan.The agreement is expected to remain in place for 10 years, with coordination provided by the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma. StandardAero will perform its primary work in San Antonio, Texas.Other companies, including Turbopower and Segers Aero Corp., also received positions under the competitive arrangement. Their activities will cover locations in Florida, Alabama, and Winnipeg, Canada.The T56 is a long-serving turboprop engine family that has powered the C-130 for decades. The Hercules can reach approximately 320 knots and has a reported range of about 2,050 nautical miles, while operating at altitudes of up to 33,000 feet.The engine is not limited to the C-130. T56 variants have also powered aircraft such as the P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft and the E-2 Hawkeye airborne early-warning platform.More than 18,000 T56 engines have reportedly been manufactured since the program began. The engine has been operated in approximately 70 countries and accumulated more than 230 million flight hours.The new support contract is therefore significant not only for maintaining the US C-130 fleet but also for sustaining a mature propulsion system that remains in service across multiple aircraft types.
