Lockheed Martin E-130J

The Boeing 707 production line closed following the delivery of the last E-6 Mercury and consequently spare parts for the platform are scarce and operations have become increasingly expensive.

in December 2020 (FY2021), the US Navy announced that it awarded a contract to Lockheed Martin for the purchase of the C-130J-30 Hercules as a testbed for the TACAMO mission.

[6] The aircraft selection represents a return to the C-130 platform by the Navy, which used the EC-130Q (an older variant despite the higher letter) for the TACAMO mission from 1963 until 1993.

With the C-130's reduced runway requirements compared to any of the above jets and design features that emphasize austere and even rough-field capabilities, the E-130J's operations would become less predictable to adversaries.

The Navy described the mission of E-130J in their FY2024 budget request:[3]The TACAMO mission provides an airborne capability for survivable, endurable and reliable airborne command, control and communications between the United States (U.S.) National Command Authority (NCA) and the U.S. strategic forces.

[3] This system extends a 5 mi (8.0 km) long wire from the tail of the aircraft to enable VLF communications with submerged submarines.

With the Air Force expecting to handle those duties using the planned Survivable Airborne Operations Center aircraft, that capability will no longer be needed aboard the Navy's TACAMO platform.