The U.S. Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin a $156 million contract to provide new training devices to accommodate the growing pipeline of C-130J aircrews and maintainers.

Lockheed Martin will develop 24 new training devices and provide program management and engineering services under the U.S. Air Force's C-130J Maintenance and Aircrew Training System II, referred to as JMATS II.

The devices include weapons systems, enhanced integrated cockpit systems, loadmaster fuselage and loadmaster part-task trainers along with enhanced cargo handling system training aids.

"These new devices will support multiple C-130J communities as they receive their new aircraft," said Col. Peter Eide, Simulators Division Chief for Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

"High fidelity simulator systems provide safe, affordable training alternatives that can free up critical C-130J resources to fly airlift missions."

"The technology that is available now offers incredible flexibility, realism and networking capabilities for distributed mission operations," said Jim Weitzel, vice president of training solutions in Lockheed Martin's Global Training and Logistics business. "The new integrated cockpit systems trainers, for example, allow both aircrews and maintainers to train on the same device for the first time. We're able to deliver more capability with unprecedented value."

The U.S. Air Force Air Combat Command, Air Mobility Command and Special Operations Command will use the devices for C-130J initial qualification and refresher training.

The trainers will be delivered by 2016 to Cannon Air Force Base, N.M.; Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.; Dyess Air Force Base, Texas; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.; Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.; Moody Air Force Base, Ga.; and Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

The work will be managed at Lockheed Martin's Marietta, Ga. and Orlando, Fla., businesses.

Lockheed Martin has managed the C-130J Maintenance and Aircrew Training System since 2000 to provide a comprehensive range of training devices and support services, including aircrew and maintenance personnel instruction, program operations and engineering services. In August 2011, the Air Force awarded Lockheed Martin the first phase of the JMATS II program to provide weapons systems training devices.