Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with the Government of Canada valued at $1.4 billion for the purchase of 17 C-130J Super Hercules airlifters and related equipment and services. The Canadian Forces’ new Super Hercules will be the longer fuselage or “stretched” variant of the C-130J, similar to those being delivered to the U.S. Air Force. Deliveries to Canada will begin in 2010. Canada joins the growing number of nations with C-130J fleets. Allied operators include the United States, Australia, Demark, Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom.

AAR acquires Trax to accelerate digital solutions strategy
Chicago-headquartered AAR CORP. (AAR) has announced its acquisition of Trax Corp. (trax), a leading independent provider of aircraft MRO and fleet management software to accelerate its digital solutions strategy. AAR is a global aerospace and defence aftermarket solutions company with operations in over 20 countries. It supports commercial and government customers through two operating segments: