US Marines Abandon Plans to Convert KC-130J Hercules Aircraft into Gunships

The US Marine Corps has abandoned plans to equip KC-130J Hercules aircraft with Harvest Hawk missile systems.

The War Zone reported on this.

The Corps explained that the decision was due to high operating and training costs and limited operational demand.

At one time, Harvest Hawk was actively promoted in the media as an example of adapting transport platforms to the conditions of the global war on terrorism, but now the system has effectively been decommissioned — it has fired its last Hellfire missile.

In recent years, questions have also been raised about the future role of the US Air Force’s AC-130J Ghostrider combat aircraft amid a shift in the US military’s focus from counterinsurgency operations and low-intensity conflicts to confrontation with technologically advanced states.

The War Zone reached out to the Marine Corps for clarification after the annual naval aviation plan, released earlier this month, made no mention of the Harvest Hawk.

Full operational readiness of the latest version of the kit was announced only in 2021. At that time, 10 KC-130J naval aviation aircraft were modified to install Harvest Hawk, but only six complete kits were available.

According to the 2026 Naval Aviation Plan, naval aviation has already received 82% of the 95 KC-130J aircraft planned for purchase — approximately 78 aircraft.

The Marine Corps clarified that back in 2024, they decided to abandon the kits due to their inexpediency and significant training and operating costs.

The latest modification of the system — Harvest Hawk Plus (HH+) — allowed the KC-130J to use AGM-114 Hellfire and AGM-176 Griffin missiles. With the kit installed, the aircraft could carry Hellfire missiles on standard four-rail launchers under its wings.

AGM-176 missiles were launched through Common Launch Tubes (CLT) located in a modified rear ramp, with the ability to reload during flight.

The basic version of Harvest Hawk involved the use of AGM-176s, as well as GBU-44/B Viper Strike glide bombs, which were launched from the rear of the KC-130J.

Previously, the integration of AGM-179 JAGM missiles, GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs, and a 30 mm automatic cannon into the complex was also considered, but these plans were never implemented.