2016
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The U.S. Air Force’s Hurricane Hunters, based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, have spent, by conservative estimate, more than 100 hours inside Hurricane Matthew. You may have heard of them. A Discovery Channel show featuring the unit — officially known as the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron under the 403rd Wing of the Air Force Reserves — aired for two seasons. Or maybe you haven’t heard of them. But if you’re one of 2.5 million people in four states who evacuated their homes in advance of Matthew — or one of the millions more who may be in the storm’s path, or one of the many more people nationwide who are following news of the storm, or for that…
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In dramatic fashion, a U.S. Air Force C-130J swept through the Hub City skies last week, landing in full force for the first time on the new crosswind runway at the Belen Alexander Municipal Airport. The dignitaries on the ground for the inaugural landing stood in awe with cell phones in hand pointed to the sky to capture the moment that’s been years in the making. The 58th Special Operations Wing out of Kirtland Air Force Base, along with the150th Special Operations Wing New Mexico Air National Guard unit will also use the runway. Col. Brenda Cartier, the commander of the 58th Special Operations Wing, stood on the loading ramp in the rear of the plane T…
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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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The 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron flew two C-130J Super Hercules into Qayyarah West Airfield, Iraq, Oct. 21, the first coalition aircraft to land on the airfield since the start of Operation Inherent Resolve. The aircraft landed mere hours after repairs to the runway were completed, a project that’s been underway since Iraqi security forces retook the airfield from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in July of this year. “It’s taken several months to plan this mission,” said Lt. Col. John Poole, the 386th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron commander. “A big part of it was since before the airfield was taken, we knew that it had been damaged significa…
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HURLBURT FIELD, FLORIDA – In the not-too-distant future, when ground troops call for close-air support, the ‘Ghostrider’ and its deadly arsenal could come to their rescue. The AC-130J Ghostrider is set to be the most heavily-armed gunship in history, bristling with 30mm and 105mm cannons, AGM-176A Griffin missiles, and the ability to carry Hellfire missiles and GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs. But that’s not all. Some day in the future, the Ghostrider could even be equipped with a high-energy laser. That’s right. Lasers. When it hits the battlefield in a few short years, the Ghostrider will be the most heavily armed gunship in history – a badass plane providing…
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The Montana Air National Guard are sending the C-130's on their first large-scale deployment on Monday. Earlier this month, the 120th Airlift Wing announced that it completed the two-year conversion process to the C-130's and was ready to deploy. The C-130 Hercules aircraft and support personnel, including operations and maintenance, will travel to Southwest Asia to participate in Operation Inherent Resolve. The Montana unit participated in previous deployments as a fighter wing. Most recently they deployed F-15's to Hawaii in 2010 and Alaska in 2013. And prior to that, they deployed with F-16's to Iraq in 2004 and 2008 and to Korea in 2006.…
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More than 1,000 C-130 Hercules operators, suppliers and industry partners gathered in Atlanta, Oct. 17-20, for the 28th Hercules Operators Council hosted by Lockheed Martin. This year’s event theme was “Saluting Hercules Service Centers — Maintaining the Partnership.” During the HOC, attendees focused on the 18 Lockheed Martin-certified C-130 service centers that provide unmatched global support to C-130 and L-100 operators. The HOC environment offers worldwide Hercules community an opportunity to share insights and perspectives on pertinent C-130 topics as they apply to legacy Hercules aircraft, current production model C-130J Super Hercules and the L-100/LM-10…
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Airmen and ski-equipped aircraft from the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing have started their annual journey to Antarctica. Two ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft and 23 Airmen left Stratton Air National Guard Base on Tuesday, October 18 to participate in the wing’s 29th season supporting Operation Deep Freeze, the military component of the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is managed by the National Science Foundation. The first LC-130 to leave Stratton departed Oct. 14 and is now in Christchurch, New Zealand – the last stop before Antarctica. Two more planes are scheduled to depart Stratton within the week. Throughout the season, which runs thr…
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Israel's fourth Lockheed Martin C-130J "Samson" tactical transport arrived at an air force base in the country in mid-October. It will be followed by another two examples by the end of this year. The Israeli air force's "Elephants" squadron, which operates the new-generation Hercules, has already tested the C-130J during aerial refueling missions with a Boeing 707 tanker, and is currently testing its low-level flight capabilities using some Israeli-developed systems. As deliveries of the tactical transport continue, the air force's flight test center has completed operational testing of special systems that were installed on the US-built type for Israel. Most of…
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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 Philippine Air Force's (PAF) fifth C-130 heavy-lift transport aircraft arrived from the United States on Sunday evening. The cargo plane, acquired through the US Excess Defense Articles program, arrived at the Benito Ebuen Air Base in Mactan, Cebu. The plane took off from the Davis-Monthan Air Base in Tucson, Arizona last October 6 (US time), according to a report from the Philippines News Agency. PAF spokesperson Col. Antonio Francisco released the names of the personnel who flew the aircraft: Col. Joey Inacay, mission commander; Lt. Col. Jason Rom Lacida, aircraft commander; Major Anthony Amora, test pilot and pilot-in-command; Major Meritto Jay Quija…
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Germany and France announced plans on Tuesday (Oct 4) to share an air base and transport planes as part of a military shake-up in the wake of Britain's vote to quit the European Union. The two countries signed an agreement with a view to sharing C-130J Super Hercules military transport planes, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in Paris. His German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen, in Paris to sign the deal, told reporters both countries wanted to have the new arrangement in place by 2021. France ordered four C-130Js from US company Lockheed in January. Germany was looking to acquire between four and six of the same aircraft and to base th…
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Germany is set to buy and operate four to six Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft in a joint effort with France, German reports say on Tuesday 4 October. Berlin with such a move clearly shows it doesn’t have much faith in the Airbus A400M, which is now being delivered to the German Luftwaffe at a painfully slow rate while also showing shortcomings for which Berlin seeks compensation. The Hercules aircraft are to be delivered in 2021 and based in France, according to sources. They would be fitted especially for special operations and be able to operate from unpaved runways. Signal If anything, the purchase is a clear signal to Airbus that t…
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“The conversion process is complete,” Smith said. “Today marks our first day since the end of conversion. We sent up an official memo to the Guard Bureau yesterday that we have completed our conversion and are now a fully operational C-130 wing.” Brig. Gen. Bryan Fox, Assistant Adjutant General – Air, Montana National Guard, Brig. Gen. Pete Hronek, Vice Chief of Joint Staff for the Montana National Guard, and State Command Chief Master Sgt. Tim Zumbrun were shown the progress made on the hanger construction project and the new unimproved landing zone. Smith said now that the unit has completed its conversion the Airmen of the Montana Air National Guard are able to b…
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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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Lockheed Martin is focusing increased attention on Africa as a market for its C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, in the face of stiff competition from the Airbus Defence C295, and the Alenia C-27J Spartan. The C-130J is an advanced new-build derivative of the original C-130A-H. Its new 4,637shp Rolls Royce AE2100D3 engines and Dowty Propellers’ six-blade R391 propellers provide dramatic all-round performance improvements, as well as reduced operating costs. The C-130J’s new engines provide 30% more power than the 4,590shp Allison T56-A-15 or Allison AN501-D22A turboprops used on the C-130 and L-100. This, in turn, ensures that the Super Hercules is 10…
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Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group is celebrating the 20th anniversary of supporting the Royal Netherlands Air Force C-130 fleet. In 1996 Marshall was awarded the contract to support the Royal Netherlands Air Force fleet of C-130H’s and throughout the development of the C-130 fleet Marshall has continued to support the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Marshall completed the CUP (Cockpit Upgrade Programme) in 2005 which was followed by the groundbreaking TACAMO contract where two ex-US Navy EC-130Qs were converted to C-130Hs which included the CUP configuration. 2006 also marked the establishment of the engineering office in Leiden, the Netherlands. Further ca…
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The group that supports Robins Air Force Base held its first meeting in nine months Thursday, and heard some potentially good news. It was the first meeting of the 21st Century Partnership under the leadership of Dan Penny, the new president. He told the members that talks are in progress for Robins to get more C-130 work. “It hasn’t been approved by the Air Force but there is somebody working on it, I can tell you that,” he said. “It will take probably at least two years for that to happen.” But he explained it in a way that sounded hopeful. Robins currently does most of the heavy maintenance on C-130s, but some of it is done at Hill Air Force Base i…
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The 50th C-130J Super Hercules empennage assembly has been delivered by a Tata-Lockheed Martin joint venture, Lockheed announced Monday. The assembly was delivered by the enterprise, known as Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited, from its Hyderabad, India, facility, the company said in a statement. The venture was established in 2010 and began producing the aircraft's components in late 2011. Lockheed said the effort follows along the lines of the Indian government's "Make in India" program and has become the single global source of C-130J empennage assemblies included on all new Super Hercules aircraft produced in Marietta, Ga. Empennage assem…
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The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded Rolls-Royce in Indianapolis a more than $20 million contract. The announcement comes on the same day that the U.S. Air Force has named Rolls-Royce a "Superior Supplier" for the third consecutive year. The contract calls for the production of spare engines for the C-130J aircraft. Work will be performed in Indianapolis and is expected to be complete by the end of December 2017. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia is the contracting activity. The Air Force recognizes top suppliers each year after companies are rated in Contractor Performance Assessment Reports and then categorize…
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Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Marietta, Georgia, has been awarded a $55,521,060 modification (P00581) to previously awarded contract FA8625-11-C-6597 to definitize an undefinitized contract action for one C-130J aircraft. The location of performance is Marietta, Georgia. This modification is 100 percent unclassified foreign military sales to Israel. The work is expected to be completed by April 30, 2018. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity. Source: http://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract-View/Article/951753/source/GovDelivery View full article
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440th Airlift Wing members, Airmen from around the country, soldiers and community members gathered together yesterday to honor generations of 440th Airmen and pay tribute to the legacy of the Air Force's third oldest unit, the Air Force Reserve's 440th AW, at its inactivation ceremony, September 18. Though members of the 440th Airlift Wing have been planning and arranging for the closure of the wing's doors for months, little could truly prepare those gathered for the emotional ceremony; the heavy fog of both pride and sadness that would accompany the furling of the 440th Airlift Wing's flag. "I am honored to have spent my entire career with the 440th Airlift Win…
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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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The long, sad goodbye is coming to an end. The few remaining members of the 440th Airlift Wing will case the colors this weekend. Ceremonies on Fort Bragg and in downtown Fayetteville will bid the unit farewell. The formality of inactivating Fort Bragg's last resident airlift unit will come sometime before the end of this month. It will nearly coincide with the end of the federal fiscal year, which is appropriate, because it appears that the Air Force decision to close the wing was related to federal budget woes. Military budgets are still subject to the blind, meat-ax cuts required by Congress' budget sequestration law, the insane mandate of across-the-board sp…
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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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