Reliability issues plaguing Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) fleet of Lockheed C130R Hercules transport aircraft are causing a rethink on procurement priorities, a Japanese government source recently told the Nippon News Network.
According to the anonymous source, frequent mechanical problems afflicting the aging platform have contributed to “extremely low” availability ratios, with the JMSDF struggling to get one or two airworthy at any given time.
The JMSDF acquired the first of six retired US C-130R aircraft in 2014 as a replacement for its aging NAMC YS-11 transports, which had been in service since the 1970s. The C-130R fleet’s primary peacetime role is resupplying remote bases, including Japan’s combined force base in Iwo Jima, which lies more than 1000 kilometres southwest of Japan’s main Honshu island, and a JMSDF base on the more distant island of Minami Torishima.
It has been reported that on numerous occasions no C-130R aircraft had been available for weeks on end, with interruptions forcing garrisons in remote islands to bulk-order supplies and request assistance from the Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF). The government source questioned whether authorities had “neglected transportation,” with “funding tending to be easier for equipment directly used in combat such as missiles and Aegis Destroyers.” Transport ship procurements outlined in the 2025 Outline of Budgetary Appropriation Requests were the only vessels subject to cuts after negotiations involving the Ministry of Finance.
Reliability problems with the C-130R have also amplified opposition to a renewed push to acquire McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft – which gained momentum after Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba asked his Ministry of Defence to study the suitability of the platform. Some in the government are concerned that acquiring a platform which has not been in production for more than a decade could eventually result in the same reliability and maintenance issues plaguing the C-130R.
Aside for searching for alternative traditional platforms, there has also been a push in Japan’s Ministry of Defence for drones to play an expanded role in transportation and logistics, in line with calls in Japan’s Cabinet-approved late 2022 National Defence Strategy to expand the use of unmanned and automated platforms to overcome personnel shortages and reduce casualties in the event of a conflict.
The recent US-Japan bilateral Nankai Rescue 2024 exercise, designed to enhance cooperation between the two nation’s forces for disaster relief in Japan, showcased the Kawasaki K-RACER transport UAV, which demonstrated the capacity to load and unload cargo autonomously.
The Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) has also agreed to test US firm Elroy Air’s Chaparrel drone, described by the company as an “autonomous platform for middle-mile logistics, humanitarian aid shipping, and military resupply.”
Aside from committing 1.2 billion yen (roughly A$13 million) in 2025 to fast-track research and testing on a transport drone, the JGSDF is also seeking to develop a prototype for an attack, transport, surveillance and reconnaissance multi-purpose drone.