Last month, Florence Parly — France’s minister of the Armed Forces — officially welcomed the country’s first C-130J Super Hercules aircraft with a ceremony at Orléans-Bricy Air Base.

France will receive a total of four Super Hercules aircraft — two C-130J-30 combat delivery ‘airlifters’ and two KC-130J ‘aerial refuellers’ — with deliveries taking place through 2019.

France first acquired C-130Hs in 1987, and its new C-130Js will be operated alongside its existing Hercules fleet. France is the 17th country to choose the C-130J for its airlift needs.