2019
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The latest version of the AC-130J Ghostrider gunship has been delivered to the 4th Special Operations Squadron. The 1st Special Operations Wing said in a news release Wednesday that the gunship is the first Block 30 Ghostrider for Air Force Special Operations Command and U.S. Special Operations Command. It was delivered to the 4th SOS — which is based at Hurlburt Field in Florida — in a small unveiling ceremony at Bob Skies Airport in Crestview, Florida. Hurlburt said in the release that the Block 30 Ghostrider has better software and avionics technology than the previous Block 20 version. In a follow-up email, Staff Sgt. Victor Caputo, spokesman for the 1st SOW…
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A range of upgrades and modifications have been fitted under Plan Jericho to Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-130J Hercules A97-448, providing the RAAF’s Air Mobility Group with a ‘Jericho Demonstrator’ to explore how it will provide air mobility as part of a Fifth-Generation Air Force. Upgrades include the installation of a Ka-Band Satellite Communications (SATCOM) antenna, external fuel tanks (taking total fuel capacity from 19 to 27 tons) to increase range/loiter and fuel offload; and other advancements to crew awareness and survivability. Air Mobility Group will use the Jericho Demonstrator in support of other Defence and Government agencies to determine …
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MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia is undertaking a series of upgrades to the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules airlifter, improving connectivity, fuel payload and surveillance capabilities with the addition of new equipment. Working together with industry, the Royal Australian Air Force, or RAAF, has installed a wideband satellite communications system and is planning on fitting Litening pods onto one of its C-130J used as a capability demonstrator aircraft. RAAF is fitting external fuel tanks on its C-130J fleet. Group Capt. Tony Bull, director of capability development and transition at the RAAF’s Air Mobility Group, told Defense News at the ongoing Avalon …
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PENSACOLA , Fla. (WEAR-TV) — The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are bidding farewell to their C-130T aircraft. The Blue Angels announced on Wednesday the aircraft known as Fat Albert is officially retiring. The Navy says Fat Albert has served the Blue Angels for 17-years and flown more than 30,000 hours in support of their missions. According to the U.S. Navy the current airframe, BUNO 164763, has been with the team since 2002 and was the last C-130 to conduct a jet-assisted take-off (JATO). The Navy says their team will be transported via Fleet-provided logistics until a permanent replacement aircraft is identified. …
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https://www.noozhawk.com/article/aircraft_reportedly_crashed_caught_on_fire_at_santa_barbara_airport
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Lockheed Martin delivered the 2,600th C-130 Hercules tactical airlifter to U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command on Oct. 21, 2019. This milestone Hercules is an MC-130J Commando II Special Operations airlifter assigned to 9th Special Operations Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. A U.S. Air Force crew ferried its new MC-130J to its home on Oct. 22, flying this Herk from Lockheed Martin’s Marietta, Ga., site, where all production C-130s have been built. The C-130J Super Hercules is the current C-130 production model and the global fleet recently surpassed 2 million flight hours. Twenty nations around the world have chosen the C-130J to support tactic…
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The Air Force uses basic and specialized versions of the C-130 Hercules to perform a diverse number of missions, including airlift support, Antarctic resupply, aeromedical missions, weather reconnaissance, firefighting duties and aerial spray missions.So how does the Air Force kill weeds to make fire breaks in hazardous areas of the Utah Test and Training Range? It uses a C-130 assigned to the U.S. Air Force Reserve 757th Airlift Squadron stationed at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio.“We’re the only unit that does aerial spraying in the Air Force with the C-130,” said Lt. Col. Don Teig, 757th AS medical entomologist. “It’s tactical flying. We fly at about 100 feet to …
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The failure of an engine air duct forced the crash landing of a C-130 at the Santa Barbara Airport in August, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board. The airport’s main runway was shut down for 19 hours after the aircraft, owned by International Air Response, made its emergency landing on Aug. 25. The five people on board escaped injury, but the plane caught fire and was heavily damaged. The C-130, an aerial oil-spill dispersant plane, was traveling from Malaysia to its home base at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona at the time of the crash. It had made refueling stops in Hilo, Hawaii, and Santa Maria. …
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Aircrew assigned to the 189th Operations Group flew to Abbottsford, Canada, Oct. 5, 2019, to participate in the annual Girls Fly Too, Women in Aviation symposium. The all-female crew, including pilots Lt. Col. Kenda Garrett and Maj. Janelle Guillebeau, navigator Lt. Col. Sarah O’Banion, flight engineer Master Sgt. Erin Evans, and loadmasters Tech. Sgt. Nicole Beck and Senior Airman Ashlyn Hendrickson stopped in Colorado Springs on the way up to Canada and picked up the Wings of Blue female jump team along with their jump master and staff. Along with the aircrew, Staff Sgt. Tracie Winston and Staff Sgt. Jessica McGilton, two crew chiefs from the 189th Maintenance Group, ac…
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A C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft was damaged Tuesday when its nose landing gear collapsed while on the tarmac at Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, the 19th Airlift Wing said in an email. 1st Lt. Jessica Cicchetto, a spokeswoman for the 19th, said Wednesday that there were no injures reported in the accident. However, the Super Hercules — assigned to the 314th Airlift Wing at Little Rock — remains grounded while the damage is being assessed, she said. “Operational safety is a top priority for Little Rock Air Force Base, and an investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the incident,” Cicchetto said. There were no further d…
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New Delhi: The Indian Air Force has found that one of the chief reasons why a brand new C-130 J Super Hercules aircraft crashed in 2014 and killed five crew members, including the pilots, was “inadequate training”, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report tabled in Parliament Wednesday. What’s shocking about this finding is that a simulator for this aircraft had been available since 2012, but was used for training only in 2016 because the IAF and manufacturer Lockheed Martin could not finalise a usage contract. Less than 10 minutes after the aircraft took off from Agra on 28 March 2014, it crashed 115 km west of Gwalior while on a routine tr…
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Many in the Lake Area may have noticed a couple of C-130 aircraft sharing the sky Thursday with the beautiful fall sunshine. They weren't just testing their flight capabilities, though. The aircraft were being flown as part of a Green Flag Exercise — a joint military training program conducted, in this case, with soldiers from the U.S., Canada and Sweden that took place at Chennault International Airport. The 61st Airlift Squadron out of Little Rock Air Force Base, the 621st Contingency Response Wing out of Travis Air Force Base and the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y., teamed with soldiers from Canada and Sweden to take part in the training.…
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Lockheed Martin has announced that the world-wide fleet of C-130J Super Hercules aircraft recently surpassed 2 million flight-hours since the C-130J’s first flight on 5 April 1996. Twenty-two operators in 18 nations contributed to this achievement via multiple missions, including combat, transport, aerial refuelling, special operations, medical evacuation, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, weather reconnaissance, firefighting and commercial freight delivery. Rod McLean, general manager of Lockheed Martin Air Mobility & Maritime Missions, revealed the milestone at the Hercules Operators Conference, the annual C-130 operator-industry event held in the USA. Mr McLe…
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The 192nd Airlift Squadron participated in Exercise Resolute Hunter at the Naval Air Station Fallon Range Training Complex from Oct. 21 to 25. The Naval Air Station Fallon and Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center are the Navy’s premier Weapon Tactics Instructor schools both located well within flying distance for the High Rollers out of Reno.“This range complex has some of the most advanced enemy threat emitters in the world,” said Maj. Kyle Carraher, a pilot with the 192nd Airlift Squadron, “and the training is as realistic as you can get. We want to bolster our relationship with the entities in Fallon so we can train smarter and more effectively. This is an ext…
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The Indonesian Ministry of Defense (MOD) confirmed that they are looking to procure the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft from the US government, and is also interested in having industrial cooperation to support the aircraft. This was among the topics discussed between the Indonesian MOD Secretary General Agus Stiadji and US acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South and Southeast Asia Christopher Johnston in Jakarta on 22 October 2019. The Indonesian MOD, on behalf of the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) has shown interest in the C-130J Super Hercules to improve the service’s air transport capability and replacing legacy assets, mostly ol…
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The 920th Rescue Wing is celebrating the legacy of its HC-130P/N combat-rescue fleet as the wing expects to receive a replacement fleet of HC-130J in the Spring of 2020. This new airframe will not only replace the legacy HC-130 fleet but with its arrival also comes the elimination of two aviation career fields: Flight Engineer and Airborne Mission Systems Specialist. “This is the first time in my Air Force career that I’m switching jobs,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jesus Ulloa, 39th Rescue Squadron Airborne Mission Systems Specialist. “We’re losing quite a few crew members with the new J model, so the job will be a little more demanding on the rest of us.”To pay homage to th…
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Lockheed Martin Aeronautics will sustain France’s C-130J aircraft fleet under a $12.4 million foreign military sales contract from the US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, announced on 24 October. The contract will provide long term sustainment (LTS) for France's C-130J aircraft. Critical components of LTS support include program management support; spares, supply support services; support equipment; diminishing manufacturing sources, sustaining engineering services, sustaining engineering/technical services; depot maintenance; aircraft modifications; and data and configuration management programs. The work will run through January 2023. Sour…
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Meggitt will supply fuel bladders for the C-130 Super Hercules aircraft program under a $16.5 million contract from Lockheed Martin announced on 21 October. The company will provide long-life, lightweight fuel bladders. Designed using polyurethane technology, the bladders are highly flexible, durable and maintenance-free. Deliveries are scheduled to commence in 2020. Chris Allen, president of Meggitt’s Airframe Systems division, said: ‘We are delighted to be working with Lockheed Martin on this crucial program. The Super Hercules is one of the hardest working aircraft in the world, refueling, transporting, firefighting and performing reconnaissance. We are …
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The night skies of Beja, Portugal are full of stars, but they have company. Pilots deployed from Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia flew night training missions in two C-130H3 Hercules aircraft during Exercise Real Thaw 2019 at Beja Air Base, Portugal, Oct. 2, 2019. RT19 is a Portuguese-led large joint and combined force exercise held annually where Dobbins provided aerial support. Part of the highly realistic training included daytime and nighttime operations. The mission for this night exercise was to transport two Portuguese M-11D Light Reconnaissance Vehicles from Beja Air Base, Portugal, to a dirt landing zone in a simulated combat …
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A Philippine Air Force (PAF) Lockheed C-130 "Hercules" cargo plane airlifted relief goods and other items for families affected by the magnitude 6.6 earthquake that rocked Tulunan, North Cotabato early Tuesday morning. The aircraft, with tail number 5011, carried 500 family food packs, 500 sleeping kits, 500 laminating sacks, and 50 family tents from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, PAF spokesperson Major Aristides Galang said in a statement Wednesday. He added that items were airlifted to Tambler in General Santos City Wednesday. "Moreover, an (AugustaWestland) AW-109 aircraft of the PAF together with the CDRRMO (City Disaster Risk Reducti…
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Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group has begun work on the centre-wing box (CWB) replacement effort for 14 UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Lockheed Martin C-130J/C-130J-30 Hercules transport aircraft, which should be complete in 2027. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) told Jane's on 15 February that having awarded Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group the CWB contract in July 2017, a further "embodiment" contract to supply the CWB kits was awarded in 2018, paving the way for the commencement of work on the 14 aircraft. The RAF fields both the 'short-bodied' C-130J (designated C5 in RAF service) and 'long-bodied' C-130J-30 (C4) variants of the Hercules. As stated in the coun…
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The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) has delivered C-130 aircraft to a joint French and German squadron at Évreux-Fauville Air Base, France. The joint squadron received two C-130J Super Hercules and the first of two KC-130J aircraft. The program includes the delivery of a total of seven aircraft by 2026. According to the US Air Force (USAF), the C-130 aircraft fleet will cost around $1.6bn. Sustainment of the fleet is estimated to cost an additional $1bn over the next seven years. In 2017, France and Germany approached AFLCMC to procure two C-130 models for Germany to enable the creation of the joint squadron. At the time, the French …
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U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard search and rescue crews are searching for an unidentified crewmember who fell out of the back of a C-130 cargo aircraft ten miles into the Gulf of Mexico during the day on Tuesday. An updated report published by Fox News and attributed to the Air Force Times said that, “The fall happened during a parachute-jump training exercise out of Hurlburt Field.” An additional report from Florida’s WKRG-TV said that the search operation was underway, “about a mile and a half south of Santa Rosa Island, Fla., along the Florida Panhandle”. A report from WEAR-TV in Florida went on to say, “The Coast Guard said the airman, identified only as…
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The Air Force’s C-130 program office is looking into what caused a torque tube and spring to recently fall off of a special operations plane in Japan, a service spokesman said Oct. 25. “It is not an issue we have seen before,” Air Force Life Cycle Management Center spokesman Brian Brackens said in an email. “Therefore, we will be sending the part to the lab for failure analysis. The findings of this analysis will help us to determine whether this was an isolated incident or if it will impact the C-130 fleet.” Airmen discovered the torque tube and spring missing from the MC-130J during an post-flight inspection Oct. 18, Kadena AB, Japan officials told Air Force M…
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U.S. Air Force Airmen worked with Japan Air Self-Defense Force, or Koku-Jieitai, airmen during the Bilateral Exchange Program at Yokota Air Base, Oct. 17-25. Fifteen Koku-Jieitai Airmen visited Yokota AB to work with their U.S. Air Force counterparts, giving them a chance to learn, grow and strengthen relationships. The Bilateral Exchange Program allows airmen to learn from one another, building better work practices and provides airmen an opportunity to share their culture. “Through the BEP, I can learn the differences of operations between the U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force,” said Japan Air Self-Defense Force Tech. Sgt. Yuji Watanabe, Iru…
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