2015
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Lockheed Martin hopes to boost the popularity of its C-130J tactical transport and in-development LM-100J commercial freighter by establishing a new international training centre for the types. To be set up at its Marietta production site in Georgia, the centre is scheduled to open during the first quarter of 2018, says Vic Torla, business director for training solutions at Lockheed’s Mission Systems and Training business unit. “We’ve been aware of increasing demand for some time now,” says Torla, who notes that the US Air Force’s capacity to provide training for international C-130J customers at Little Rock AFB in Arkansas is reducing as it shifts to operating more of …
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The US Air Force is set to initiate a multi-billion dollar Lockheed Martin C-130X avionics modernisation programme (AMP), following recommendations by an Air Mobility Command C-130 study team. USAF leaders are also considering the study group's recommendations for a powerplant upgrade and acquisition of 150 new C-130J-30s. The group, known as a Tiger Team, was formed to consider problems with the C-130 Hercules transport, including its reliability and maintainability and lack of global air transportation management (GATM) avionics. With 44 versions of the aircraft operating with the USAF, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, the intention is to reduce to two basic …
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he 86th Airlift Wing held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the new C-130J Super Hercules Flight Simulator Aug. 24, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The project is a result of a collaborative effort, as the simulator itself is owned by Air Mobility Command but housed in a U.S. Air Forces in Europe and 86th Airlift Wing building. "A big thank you goes to ... the collaborative effort," said Col. Eric Mayheu, AMC Aircrew Operations and Training Division chief. "This has been a project ongoing for the past seven years. This design, this building, this device and everything else that needs to come online took seven years to be able to have what you have …
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The plane has just arrived from North America for the Australian bushfire season and performed a practice water-bombing exercise near Richmond air base in north-west Sydney. The air tanker can drop more than 15,000 litres of water or fire retardant on a blaze within a few seconds. It has a loaded cruising speed of 545 kilometres an hour, meaning it will be able to reach most fires in the state within one hour. Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said the aircraft would be a welcome sight for residents in fire-prone areas. "The people of NSW will be able to rest easy tonight, the first day of spring, knowing that Thor will be in the skies looking out for them," M…
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Residents of Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania had the chance to see a rare formation of nine C-130 aircraft as the culminating event of a week-long C-130 Round-Up skills competition and training event held here, Aug. 23-28. Aircrews and Aerial Porters from Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS); Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard Base, Ohio; Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia; Bradley Air National Guard Base, Connecticut and Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, New York, participated in the event. Planning for the C-130 Round-Up began after a similar annual competition, Air Mobility Command’s C-130 Rodeo, was cancelled due to budgetary restraints. Planners from YARS wa…
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On 26 August, an Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) C-130J transport aircraft flew a pediatric ground ambulance, with the patient onboard, to Ciampino Airport. The six-month-old baby, who was suffering from severe respiratory problems, had been admitted to the neonatal unit of the Sassari Hospital on the island of Sardinia. The mission took place in order to effect a transfer to the Bambino Gesù specialist pediatric hospital in Rome. The request for air transport, needed to enable the young patient to reach a medical specialist, was sent first from the treating hospital to the Prefecture of Sassari, and then on to the Air Force, which ordered the immediate dispatch…
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The seventh C-130 at the Ohio National Guard's 179th Airlift Wing at Mansfield Lahm Airport has a new name. About twenty-five local government and community leaders from Ashland were at the base Thursday for the dedication of the Spirit of Ashland, with Mayor Glen Stewart having the honor of unveiling the plant's new name. Of the eight C-130's at the 179th, another two planes remain to be re-named for local communities. The dedication of the Spirit of Crestline will be in two weeks and there will be a dedication of a C-130 for the community of Galion. The others are the Spirits of Mansfield, Shelby, Clear Fork Valley, Ontario, and Lexington. View original article …
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It’s been a busy year for the mighty Hercules. Despite the Air Force’s push for a toned-down Avionics Modernization Program (AMP), there have been a number of significant upgrades and modifications. In April 2015, a bill was introduced and referred to the Committee on Armed Services relating to the modernization of C-130 aircraft to meet applicable Federal Aviation Administration regulations. New upgrades will include 8.33-Khz radios, cockpit video recorders, flight visual recorders, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), enhanced Mode S, and enhanced traffic alert and avoidance systems. At $3.8 million per plane versus $20 million per plane under AMP, the A…
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A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 landed safely at Kona International Airport Friday after a midair hydraulic failure led to the declaration of an emergency landing at 10:44 a.m. It was originally reported the landing gear would not come down, raising the possibility that the airplane would have to land on its belly, said FAA Southwest Region spokesman Lynn Lunsford. Firefighters responded to the airport and watched the airplane come in for a landing with gear deployed. Lunsford said there were no injuries reported. The C-130 Hercules is a transport aircraft used for multiple missions, including dropping life rafts, dewatering pumps or dispersant for oil pollution control. On …
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1/9/2015 - RAF MILDENHALL, England -- The last MC-130H Combat Talon II departed Jan. 8, 2015, thus ending its tenure at the 7th Special Operations Squadron at RAF Mildenhall. The MC-130H, tail number 0195, is the last of its kind to leave the European theater. Its departure marks the final step of Special Operations Command Europe's transition from the Talon II to the CV-22 Osprey."This is a departure flight," said U.S. Air Force Col. Matthew Powell, Joint Special Operations Air Component - Europe vice commander. "It's a somber occasion. What you'll see today is a real quiet and respectful departure because we understand the mission will never be the same as the 7th evolv…
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The Philippine military yesterday signed a pact with the US Navy to buy two secondhand C-130 transport planes to boost its capability to fan out quickly for territorial defence and humanitarian operations. Washington has been helping develop the military capability of its former colony in the face of serious security challenges in the South China Sea, as China steps up its presence in disputed areas. China claims almost all of the sea, believed to be rich in mineral and oil-and-gas deposits. Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and the Philippines also have claims on the waters. The transport planes, to be delivered early next year, will take to five the number of mission…
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For those who may have missed it (I am one of you), below is a link to the Fast and the Furious 7 trailer. International Air Response's C-130 N119TG (USAF 57-0520, n138FF) c/n 3227 is looking good for her age but I do have to say, she is getting a little wide in the middle. View full article
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Vibration problems threaten to delay the AC-130J The U.S. Air Force’s newest AC-130J Ghostrider gunships will enter service later than expected because of plans to load extra weapons on the four-engine planes. But the Pentagon’s top weapons tester is even more worried that other nagging problems could hold up the aircraft.In 2014, crews had trouble picking out targets because the two prototypes were shaking so much in the air, according to the latest annual report from the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. On top of that, one of the aircraft had a mid-air accident that completely shut down test flights. “Several problems require resolution and will affect the …
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The fiscal year 2016 budget proposal for the Air Force continues a multi-year procurement of C-130 transport aircraft and its variants. Multi-year buys allow a service to sign contracts for longer periods without having to seek yearly approval from Congress. Fiscal year 2016 will see the acquisition of 14 C-130J Hercules, five HC-130, which support personnel recovery, and eight MC-130s used by Air Force Special Operations Command. See full story: http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.o...t.aspx?ID=1732 View full article
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A major fire has destroyed much of a factory in Gloucestershire.The blaze began at about midnight in the roof space of Dowty's production facility at Staverton, where propeller systems for aircraft are made. Twenty-nine staff were evacuated from the site and led to safety. No-one was reported as injured.Neil Siddons from GE Aviation, who owns Dowty Propellers, said it had "committed considerable resources" to get the operation back up and running."We are in close contact with our employees, customers, and regulatory authorities," he added.Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service said 80% of the factory building was "severely damaged" by the blaze, which was tackled by 80 f…
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It was recently cleared for publication that the new Samson transport aircraft operated by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has conducted its first round of paratrooper drill, takeoff from makeshift strips as well as long-haul flight abroad. The IAF said its new C-130J Super Hercules recently carried teams which parachuted and conducted air dives and freefalls. It was also reported that the aircraft has made a maiden voyage to Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.The paratrooper drill took place over the Palmachim airbase. Some 30 instructor course cadets jumped from an altitude of 400 meters (over 1300 feet). Paratrooper and Flight Operations Commander, Lt. Colonel Nachmias explained…
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Chile has acquired two C-130 Hercules from U.S. Navy stockpiles — the most significant addition of transport aircraft since the 2010 purchase of KC-135 planes. The Hercules will be delivered this year and next, according to El Mercurio. The newspaper reported the C-130s are part of the H series, the same as two others already in FACh's fleet. The purchase is confirmed in the database of Excess Defense Articles of the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which shows Chile paid $7 million for each plane. The agency's database also shows the transfers were authorized in 2012 and 2013, indicating that Chile didn't accept them until recently. The planes are listed as C-13…
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Air Force Reserve leaders are drawing a clear line between planes and personnel in response to local outrage over the impending inactivation of the 440th Airlift Wing. A spokesman for the three-star command headquartered at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, said officials were taking "no actions prohibited by law" as they met with airmen at Fort Bragg's Pope Field on Friday.A team from Air Force Reserve Command will help open a clearing house for most of the 440th's 1,200 airmen, said spokesman Col. Robert Palmer.Palmer said the clearing house is not a nefarious plot to shutter the unit, but an effort to help airmen find new jobs."This is a way to try to take care of reser…
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STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. – New York Air National Guard Airmen flew 241 missions, delivering more than 3,100 passengers and 4.5 million pounds of cargo and fuel to research stations across Antarctica during a deployment to the southern continent that began in October 2014 and ends this week. This is the 27th year that the 109th Airlift Wing supported the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Program as part of Operation Deep Freeze, military logistics support for the research effort.This mission season also saw the successful deployment of "IcePod" device on the wing’s LC-130 “Skibird” aircraft, an imaging system that can measure the depth of an ice sheet.“…
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United States embassy officials in Addis Ababa have confirmed that the Ethiopian government has received a single Lockheed C-130E Hercules transport aircraft from the United States for tactical airlift of troops and equipment to support Ethiopian participation in AU and UN peacekeeping operations.The aircraft was previously operated by the Puerto Rico National Guard where it was flown by the 198th Airlift Squadron, according to Air Forces Daily. After retirement from the US Air Force, it was put in storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, in September, 2013, having flown a total of 22 739 flight hours. Early the following year it was taken out of storage and prep…
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The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of a potential foreign military sale (FMS) of a C-130 fleet upgrade program and associated equipment to Pakistan.Under the estimated $100m sale, Pakistan has requested a possible sale of C-130B/E avionics upgrades, engine management and mechanical upgrades, cargo delivery system installation, and the replacement of outer wing sets on six military transport aircraft.The package also includes spare and repair parts, support equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, US Government and contractor technical and logistics support services, and other relat…
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MANILA, Philippines – United States Ambassador Philip Goldberg on Monday said there are two C-130 planes anticipated to be delivered in the country in the first quarter of 2016. “We help support Philippine modernization through excess defense articles, there are two more C-130s in the pipeline,” Goldberg said during the turnover and commissioning of eight brand new Bell-412EPs and two attack versions of AgustaWestland AW-109E. Goldberg added that US government also supports the Philippine military modernization through its foreign military funding which was pegged at $50 million in 2014. With the anticipated mission-ready C-130s from the US, the Philippine Air Forc…
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MARIETTA, Ga., Aug. 17, 2015 – Crews from the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Coast Guard recently ferried two C-130J Super Hercules aircraft from the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) facility here. The Air Force crew ferried a C-130J-30 to Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, while the Coast Guard crew ferried an HC-130J to New Mexico to be painted. It will then be flown to Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina View full article
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The Arkansas Air National Guard is close to completely taking over a new mission that has prompted growth in its number of personnel and aircraft over the past two years. The National Guard's 189th Airlift Wing, located at Little Rock Air Force Base, has trained instructors on the C-130H -- aircraft designed to airdrop troops and equipment into hostile areas -- since 1986. In October 2013, the U.S. Air Force added to the 189th's responsibilities, tasking it with training all C-130H flight crews, from the U.S. and partner nations, and bumping up the number of airmen it trains annually from about 350 to about 800. Col. Dom Sarnataro, commander of the 189th Operations Grou…
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The U.S. Forest Service has issued the solicitation for a flight crew to operate the C-130H air tanker that they expect to have available at McClellan at Sacramento, Calilfornia beginning in mid-May. They intend to fill the following jobs initially for a nine month period with options to extend the term of the contract for an additional two years. 1 C-130H Qualified Contractor Aircrew Project Manager 2 MAFFS II Qualified Instructor Pilots, 1 US Coast Guard Qualified Flight Engineer Instructor, or US Air Force Qualified FE Instructor 2 MAFFS II Qualified Load Master Instructors The requirements for the two pilots: Must be current and qualified as a MAFFS Instruct…
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