Lockheed Martin Corp has won a contract worth $1.5 billion for work on 28 C-130J military transport aircraft funded by the fiscal 2016 defence budget, the Pentagon said on Thursday in its daily digest of major contracts.

The contract, which runs through July 31, 2019, is part of a larger $5.3 billion multi-year contract for 78 C-130J Super Hercules awarded to Lockheed in December.

The Super Hercules planes can touch down on austere landing zones - essentially makeshift runways - and are often used for humanitarian relief missions and special operations. - Reuters