2016
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A C-130 flown by the 120th Airlift Wing of the Montana National Guard was retired Monday afternoon. Another C-130 is already at Gore Hill to replace the aircraft with tail number 73-1598 c/n 4573 The retired aircraft will become a static display for public viewing on Gore Hill with the fighter aircraft already on display at Heritage Field, just outside the unit’s gate. The retired C-130 was built in 1973 at a plant in Marietta, Ga. Also that year, President Richard Nixon was in office, M*A*S*H was in production and the price of a first class stamp was 8 cents. The retired C-130 has served many units during its 43 years, including those …
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More than 400 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Airmen from across the country gathered May 2-6 to be certified on the military’s Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, known as MAFFS, in preparation for the 2016 wildland fire season. Airmen from four ANG wings, together with the AF Reserve’s 302nd Airlift Wing, took part in classroom-based briefings and training as well as C-130 flying operations. Military flight instructors trained alongside U.S. Forest Service aircrew flying in mountainous terrain over simulated fire lines, while groundcrew members honed their skills servicing the aircraft and reloading the MAFFS units at the tanker base located at Channel I…
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"We are excited to have the opportunity to work with the United States Air Force to provide them with state of the art retardant aerial delivery systems (RADS) for their fleet of C-130's," says Wayne Coulson, CEO and President of Coulson Aviation. Coulson first developed and installed the RADS in 2012 to equip their own C-130H/Q for aerial fire suppression. It currently holds a contract with the United States Forest Service. Britt Coulson, Vice President of Aviation, also added "Our Next Gen SMART Controller, coupled to the C-130 RADS-XXL is the premier C-130 firefighting system in the world. We are the first system in the industry to employ technology to not only…
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The German Federal Ministry of Defense is in talks with partner nations to jointly operate a limited fleet of C-130 Hercules aircraft, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiations. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the discussions are underway with the Netherlands, the US, Britain and France, all of whom have C-130s in their inventory. The US operates more than a dozen C-130s of the 86th Airlift Wing from German soil. The German air force is pushing for a transport aircraft smaller than the Airbus A400M for operations on small and poorly fortified airfields. The deployment of Bundeswehr troops in the North African country of Mali …
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They’ve been among us for a century now. They look like any other American citizen, blending with the crowd, living normal lives and working normal jobs. These inconspicuous men and women are far from ordinary; inside each one of them beats the heart of a wingman, leader and warrior. They’re Citizen Airmen, and for ten decades they have volunteered time and again to protect and preserve their country in extraordinary ways. This week Air Force Reserve Command recognizes their efforts by highlighting some of their special missions. To recognize and honor 100 years of Reserve Air Power, AFRC hosted a commemorative event at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, June 28 - 29, 2016,…
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A PAF C-130 aircraft, specially painted to highlight the sacrifices of Pakistani people and the Armed Forces in Operation Zarb e Azb, and Pakistan’s role in eradicating the menace of terrorism from the world, arrived at Royal Air Force Base, Fairford (UK) to participate in the Royal International Air Tattoo Show-2016, says a report received from Fairford (UK) The PAF contingent comprising air and ground crew is participating in the various competitions and events organized at the Royal International Air Tattoo Show-2016. PAF C-130 had participated in this prestigious event in July, 2006 as well and had won three major trophies of the competition. Reputed…
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A successful first flight test was recently completed for the C-130H (Hercules) transport aircraft upgraded by Elbit Systems for the Israeli Air Force (IAF), under an agreement signed with the Israeli Ministry of Defense. This initial flight test was the first in a series of flight tests, and future flight tests were agreed upon and will be performed in the coming months. During the flight tests, the aircraft's systems performance was tested in various modes of operation and in a variety of flight altitudes and conditions, in both day and night. The test demonstrated “out of the window” flight, in which live video was displayed on the head-up display (HUD), presentin…
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The hailstorm that hammered eastern Colorado Springs last week dented plenty of metal. Police cruisers, minivans and sports cars all fell victim to balls of ice the size of oranges that plunged from the sky at terminal velocity. Airmen at Peterson Air Force Base are trying to fix the dents in much larger vehicles - 40 ton, four-engined C-130 transport planes. Several 302nd Airlift Wing planes - the Air Force won't say how many for security reasons - were outside when the hailstorm hit July 28. On Friday, two of the aircraft looked like they had been attacked by hammer-wielding elves. "It breaks your heart," said Master Sgt. Zach Jankovsky, a crew chief for …
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Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $132 million contract for two U.S. government-configured KC-130J aircraft to France. The work is expected to be completed by April 30, 2020, the US department of defense said in a statement Thursday. France had confirmed its purchase of four C-130J Hercules tactical transports in February this year. Two of these aircraft will have the ability to refuel French rotorcraft fleet. A contract for the acquisition was signed in January after the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) had authorized the sale of two aircraft and two extended range KC-130J tankers and a spare set of four Rolls-Royce AE-2100D turboprop engines…
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MANILA (PNA) --- The Philippine Air Force (PAF)'s fifth Lockheed C-130 "Hercules" cargo aircraft will arrive by the last week of September, according to PAF spokesperson Araus Robert Musico in a message to the PNA Thursday. "The aircraft will arrive last week of this month. I don't have the exact date yet," he said in Filipino. The fourth C-130 arrived at the Benito Ebuen Airbase, Mactan, Cebu last April 5. It was flown by Filipino pilots headed by Col. Alejando Baclayon, Lt. Col. Ian Earth Lamzon, Major Ian Dexter Danes, Major Anthony Amora, and Major Ramil Daet. The two C-130s are worth USD61 million and were acquired through the US Excess Defense Article Program. …
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Three C-130 Hercules aircraft are scheduled to return to the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Sation on Sunday from a deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. Their arrival will signal an historic moment as it will represent the final C-130 return for the 914th Airlift Wing, ending a legacy of more than 40 years with the unit. The 914 Airlift Wing Commander, Col. Brian Bowman and families of returning military members will be waiting to welcome the Airmen as they return from a long tour of duty. There will be stations provided by Airmen and Family Readiness to entertain attendees and prepare for the historic return. "I could not be more proud of our A…
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After 33 years of providing aerial firefighting support with the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS), maintainers from the North Carolina Air National Guard’s, 145th Airlift Wing, loaded the last portable fire retardant delivery system in to the back of a C-130 belonging to the 152nd Airlift Wing to be transported to its new home with the Nevada Air National Guard, on Sept. 7, 2016. “It was a challenging, and at times demanding mission of which was highly satisfying”, said Col. Marshall Collins, commander, 145th Airlift Wing. In 2015 alone, the 145th flew 30 MAFFS sorties and over 34.9 flight hours resulting in 38 drops for a total of over 754,000 pounds o…
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Currently, the U.S. Air Force is ferrying supplies to Haiti after Hurricane Matthew crippled access to the southwest region of the island and other hard-hit areas, washing out bridges and roads. Only one aircraft from the 61st Airlift Squadron went to Haiti, and provided relief. Two aircraft from the 41st Airlift Squadron remained on standby to offer support. The 61st Airlift Squadron transported personnel from the 621st Contingency Response Wing, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Hurst, New Jersey, a HUMVEE and other supplies to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to support U.S. Aid operations. Air Mobility Command is tasked with providing unrivaled rapid global mobilit…
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The Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center conducted a demonstration flight showcasing engine upgrades to the C-130H aircraft here, October 20. This upgrade, to the Rolls-Royce T56 Series 3.5 engine, has already been approved for the LC-130s used by the New York Air National Guard in support of the National Science Foundation, and now the ANG is evaluating rolling out the upgrade to the rest of its legacy C-130H fleet. ANG Director Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice lauded the new engine's improvements in performance and reliability. "The Series 3.5 engine upgrade certainly increased the performance on time and fuel flow and altitude," said Rice. "So it's a…
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When Lockheed designed the C-130 Hercules in Marietta in the 1950s, company engineer Kelly Johnson said they would be lucky to sell a hundred. In 2015, Tony Frese, Lockheed Martin’s vice president and deputy program manager of C-130 Programs, delivered number 2,500. “Here we are 60 years later,” said Frese. “So we always are quite thankful that Kelly Johnson, a brilliant man, got that one piece wrong.” That engineer, Johnson, was working on sleek reconnaissance jets. The Hercules, by comparison, is clunky, with large propellers, a heavy tail and a belly big enough to fit a bulldozer. But that’s been the massive transport plane’s secret to long life. I…
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NASHUA, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BAE Systems has been selected by the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to develop a new electronic warfare system for the fleet of C-130J aircraft. The contract, worth more than $20 million, is the first phase of a multi-phase program to upgrade aircraft system survivability and the capability to detect, identify, locate, deny, degrade, disrupt, and defeat threat systems in operational significant environments. The life cycle value of the contract is expected to exceed $400 million. The Radio Frequency Countermeasure (RFCM) system offers fully integrated, precision geo-location, and radio frequency countermeasure capabilitie…
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Work to install additional systems on the first of the Israeli air force’s Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transports began in mid-January at the manufacturer’s facility in Greenville, South Carolina. Most of the new equipment has been developed in Israel, and is aimed at allowing the C-130J “Samson” to operate as an important asset of the Israeli defense forces’ Depth Command, tasked with performing long-range missions. The first Israeli aircraft will remain in the USA for four months, with a second to be flown to Greenville following the lead example’s return. The Israeli air force’s third C-130J – delivered in 2015 – had the additional systems install…
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OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN -- A seven-member crew from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Unit -- the Hurricane Hunters -- took off from Keesler Air Force Base at exactly midnight Saturday. During the 10.6 hours they were in the air, the winter storm pounding the East Coast dropped 19 inches of snow on Washington, caused widespread flooding in New Jersey and left 150,000 homes and businesses in North Carolina without power. That data was relayed to 1st Lt. Leesa Froelich, the mission's on-board meteorologist, otherwise the crew would have no way of knowing any of it. Their mission was to fly into, or rather above, what is being widely considered one o…
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WASHINGTON — The Air Force plans to request funding in its new budget to recapitalize the EC-130H Compass Call fleet by moving the electronics on the aging planes onto new business jet bodies, sources tell Defense News. The EC-130H is a key component of the Air Force’s electronic attack capability. The fleet went operational in 1983, and while there have been a number of upgrades to the electronic systems, the airframes themselves are becoming a concern. Because of the wear on the plane, the Air Force attempted to retire seven of the 14 EC-130Hs in inventory in its fiscal year 2016 budget. However, Congress — led by Rep. Martha McSally, a former Air Forc…
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Rolls-Royce has been contracted by the U.S. Air Force to supply spare engines and provide propulsion system sustainment for their C-130J aircraft. Under the $71 million spare engine contract, the company will provide 24 AE2100DE commercial engines for the airlifters. The order also includes foreign military sales to the government of Saudi Arabia. Rolls-Royce received an additional $76 million contract for C-130J propulsion system sustainment, which tasks the company with providing logistics and management support in addition to engineering services, spares, and technical data support for the aircraft's propulsion system. …
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. (WNCN) – The 440th Airlift Wing at Fort Bragg’s Pope Airfield appears on the brink of being deactivated, according to a letter that has already drawn a blistering response from North Carolina Congressional leaders. A letter from military leaders, including Secretary of the Air Force Debora Lee James, notes that the Air Force is looking to reallocate resources. “With increasing budget pressures, and to continue support to the Army while accomplishing all other missions, the Air Force must manage its tactical airlift fleet in the most efficient manner,” the letter states. WNCN obtained a copy of the letter Friday afternoon. In a s…
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Little Rock AFB, Ark. -- The 913th Airlift Group flew its final C-130H mission Jan. 28, as the wing prepared to transition to the J-model of the venerable Hercules transporter. This flight means the mission for the 913th has officially changed from the “H” to the “J” model,” said Lt. Col. Keith Jasmin, chief of current operations for the 913th Operations Support Squadron. “We’ve been balancing both, but now, we transition to the J.”From its modest beginnings in October 2010, as 22nd Air Force Detachment One, the 913 AG has grown from two Airmen to more than 800. The group’s personnel flew, maintained and supported the Air Force mission in 14 C-130H Hercules. But …
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Northrop Grumman (NG, Chalet CD01) Technology Services is offering legacy C-130 Hercules operators a center wing box (CWB) restoration solution. The offer derives from a refurbishment program on five C-130H airlifters that Australia gifted to the Indonesian air force. The Australian aircraft were overhauled before delivery by NG’s Integrated Defense Services (IDS) facility–the former Qantas Defense Services (QDS) company that the American corporation bought in 2013. QDS had provided deep maintenance support to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-130 fleet since 1958. One of the five ‘Herks’ for Indonesia proved to have a corroded CWB that needed repl…
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The 440th Airlift Wing has dropped its last paratroopers into the skies above Fort Bragg. The Air Force Reserve wing, slated for inactivation later this year, quietly conducted it's last airborne operation with Fort Bragg soldiers Wednesday. As the sun set, both literally and figuratively, on the wing's mission to support Bragg troops, about 330 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers were dropped from one of the wing's remaining C-130H planes. After a nearly two year fight to save the wing, many believe the battle is over and the 440th -- first slated to be closed in the 2015 Air Force budget -- will be inactivated this fall. Despite sever…
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2/19/2016 - DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Arizona -- Teamwork and ongoing process improvement efforts at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group resulted in an early shipment of the first of seven refurbished outer wing sets for the MC-130H Combat Talon IIs operated by Air Force Special Operations Command. The 309th AMARG is based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and is a geographically separated unit within the Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill AFB, Utah. The MC-130H, a specialized, low density/high-demand platform, is currently undergoing accelerated programmed depot maintenance at Robins AFB, Georgia. And, since the aircraft is limited…
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