2016
205 topics in this forum
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Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) recently delivered two KC-130J Super Hercules aerial refuelers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to be operated by Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) crews. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the 16th country to operate the C-130J Super Hercules to meet its refueling and airlift needs. Saudi Arabia has the distinction of having the largest legacy Hercules fleet outside of the United States of America. These new KC-130Js were acquired by the Kingdom through a Foreign Military Sales program with the U.S. government. “Our decades-long C-130 partnership with Saudi Arabia continues with the addition of the KC‑130J to the RSAF airlift fleet,” s…
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The last 440th Airlift Wing C-130H will leave Fort Bragg on Wednesday morning, officials said Monday. The scheduled 9 a.m. flight, from Pope Field to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, will mark the end of an era for aviation on the nation's largest military installation. The 440th Airlift Wing, part of the Air Force Reserve, had flown the last planes permanently based on Fort Bragg. But an Air Force decision to shutter that unit grounded the planes earlier this year, leaving Fort Bragg paratrooper units to depend on outside air crews for airborne training. The final flight also will mark the end of efforts to ready the 4…
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The first LM-100J (5818) commercial freighter continues to make significant progress, reaching major production milestones at the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) facility here. The LM-100J is the commercial version of Lockheed Martin’s proven C-130J Super Hercules aircraft — the unmatched airlifter of choice for 16 nations. The LM-100J will perform as a commercial, multi-purpose air freighter capable of rapid and efficient cargo transport. The first LM-100J (5818) commercial freighter continues to make significant progress, reaching major production milestones at the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) facility here. The LM-100J is the commercial version of Lock…
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In a $7.2 billion wish list of items the Air Force will submit to Congress, the service is asking for funds to restore the five F-35 joint strike fighters and eight C-130J transport planes it was forced to cut in its latest budget request. The document is par for the course of the Pentagon’s budget season. Congress asks for a so-called “unfunded priorities list” from each of the armed services every year. Lawmakers can choose to add funding to buy the requested items or ignore the request altogether. This year, the Air Force requested $7.2 billion in total, including about $2.9 billion to buy back capability the service cut in its fiscal year 2017 budget…
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Looking through pictures of Wyoming Air National Guard aircraft over the last ten years, one picture stands out. An eight year old image of a single C-130H Hercules aircraft with eight-bladed propellers parked on the ramp at dusk, foretelling the modernization of the C-130 fleet. The wing assisted with developmental testing by providing a dedicated aircraft and additional crew members for testing with the Electronic Propeller Control System (EPCS) and NP2000 eight-bladed propellers in June 2008. This test represented an option for the Air Force and Air National Guard to modernize the C-130H fleet through a comprehensive propulsion upgrade allowing for increased performa…
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Saber Junction is U.S. Army Europe's annual combat training center certification exercise designed to evaluate the readiness of one of its two combat brigades to conduct unified land operations (a simultaneous combination of offensive, defensive and stability missions), with an emphasis on tactical interoperability among allied and partner-nation forces. This year the exercise focused on the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vincenza, Italy, and took place from March 31 - April 24. Saber Junction is U.S. Army Europe's annual combat training center certification exercise designed to evaluate the readiness of one of its two combat brigades to conduct unified land operation…
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C-130 News: Indonesia Acquires Nine Australian Used C-130H Aircraft And Full Mission Simulator
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The Indonesian Air Force has recently taken delivery and accepted for training a CAE-built C-130H full-mission simulator that was previously in-service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The Indonesian Air Force has acquired nine ex-RAAF C-130H aircraft along with the CAE-built simulator as part of a government-to-government agreement established several years ago. Airbus Group Australia Pacific, the prime contractor responsible for delivery of five of the C-130H aircraft along with spares and simulator, subcontracted CAE Australia to relocate the C-130H simulator and to provide the training facility to house it, CAE said in a statement Wednesday. The C…
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C-130 News: Pakistan International Airlines Flying C-130 Military Plane for Passenger Service?!
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After the tragic crash of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK 661 a week ago, the airline grounded all ATR aircraft so they could thoroughly inspect them. PIA had 10 of these aircraft, and a number of flights were suspended until further notice as a result. The Chairman of PIA Azam Saigol resigned a few days ago, citing “personal reasons,” though some sources said that the government Wan't happy with the chairman following the crash. After the tragic crash of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PK 661 a week ago, the airline grounded all ATR aircraft so they could thoroughly inspect them. PIA had 10 of these aircraft, and a number of flights wer…
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International Air Response's N118TG (ex-USAF RC-130A 57-0512) c/n 3219 View full article
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As exercise Pitch Black enters its third and final week this week, the C-130J will be operating low-level tactical missions in a high-threat environment, supporting Australian and US Special Forces within the remote Bradshaw and Delamere training ranges in the Northern Territory. What is different, however, is that it will be connected to the networked battlespace for the first time in its operational career. Australia is installing an Engility Corp. Joint Range Extension (JRE) TDL system into all 12 of its Hercules, and the installation is unique in that there are five display terminals: for the pilot, co-pilot, the two loadmasters in the cargo bay and the auxiliary c…
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A vehicle roars out of the back of an MC-130 at high speed, while nearby a man moves around in a virtual-reality headset. Above, winches are lowered and raised on a platform adorned with a Christmas tree. And at the center of it sits a former taco truck, now equipped with a really, really big gun. It’s not a fever dream of an Air Force maintainer, although it’s not far off. It’s the reality of Kirtland Air Force Base's “Monster Garage,” a key and innovative part of training airmen from the US Air Force Special Operation Command (AFSOC). During a visit to Kirtland in September, reporters accompanying Secretary of Defense Ash Carter got to tour the Garage in person, g…
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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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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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Philippine Air Force outgoing commanding general Lieutenant General Jeffrey Delgado stated that one of the two refurbished C-130 aircraft amounting to PHP1.6 Billion from the United States of America will be delivered on March 15. For now, the Philippine Air Force technical working group is in US to inspect the C-130 before it will be delivered in March while the other one will be delivered in September. Meanwhile, for the last time, the outgoing PAF commanding general will inspect Air Force troops and air assets during his retirement and turnover ceremony in Lipa, Batangas tomorrow. At the same time, the two FA-50 fighter jets acquired by the Armed Forces of…
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On Tuesday, April 5, 2016, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) retired its final CC-130E Hercules after 51 years of service. Making the short flight from CFB Trenton, Ont., where it has served for many years, it arrived at Rockcliffe airport in Ottawa at its new permanent home at Canada Aviation and Space Museum. The Lockheed Hercules has served the RCAF since the acquisition of four C-130Bs in 1960. The three surviving C-130Bs were sold to the Colombian government in 1969. The success of the B models led to the acquisition of a large fleet of brand new 24 C-130E models, starting in 1964. The donated plane has had a long and exemplary career. The longest…
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The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing oversees the busiest aerial port of debarkation in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. The wing plays a major logistical role in getting needed supplies downrange. The C-130H Hercules in particular stands out as the only aircraft versatile enough to help the 386th complete this mission. “A lot of places that (C-130s) are going to are unimproved strips, smaller strips, air strips that are as small as 3,000 feet,” said Maj. Ken Fechter, 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Aircraft Maintenance Unit officer in charge. SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing oversees the busiest aerial port o…
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Military operations are complex. Attacking an adversary requires significant coordination and communication between a commander and their fighters. The fog and friction of war means that even the best laid plans are often adapted on the fly, and competent leaders need the ability to redirect their forces in real-time in order to react to enemy actions. If a commander can’t issue orders, his capabilities are severely degraded and his likelihood of success plummets. Military operations are complex. Attacking an adversary requires significant coordination and communication between a commander and their fighters. The fog and friction of war means that even the best…
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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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JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Santa Claus traded his sleigh and eight magically motivated reindeer for an Alaska Air National Guard C-130 Hercules during a Dec. 3, 2016, visit to Akiachak. Saint Nick’s journey to the Western Alaska village marked 59 years for Operation Santa Claus, an Alaska National Guard community-outreach effort dependent upon a legion of elfin volunteers as well as volunteers from Alaska businesses, non-profit organizations, and many who are supportive of the program. Though the magic hooves of Donner and Blitzen were temporarily replaced by the propeller blast of the 144th Airlift Squadron Hercules’ four turbine engines, Santa and M…
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The weather conditions are treacherous. But that's to be expected for members of the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing who participate in the U.S. Air Force's Operation Deep Freeze mission in Antarctica. Members in charge of flight operations wrestle with unexpected challenges when delivering supplies and cargo to scientists conducting research at the southernmost point of Earth's surface. The weather conditions are treacherous. But that's to be expected for members of the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing who participate in the U.S. Air Force's Operation Deep Freeze mission in Antarctica. Members in charge of flight ope…
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C-130 Modernization The Air Force is progressing with a massive technological overhaul of its warzone-tested C-130 aircraft, giving the platform new radios, digital avionics, collision avoidance technology and reinforced "wing-boxes," service officials said. The Air Force remains vigilant about its C-130 fleet to ensure the airframes, wingboxes, avionics and communication systems remain safe and operational well into the 2030s and beyond. This is particularly true of the older 1980s-era C-130Hs, Air Force developers explained. “The thing that causes the greatest risk to the airplane is the life of the wing. We monitor the wing of the aircraft and as the …
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Ukraine has lost Crimea and much of its eastern border region as well, to invading troops from Russia. But could this beleaguered country soon book a win in the airplane market? Several recent news items suggest that it could -- and that it could do this at Lockheed Martin's expense. Last month, we relayed to you the shocking news that Ukraine had officially shut down its Antonov Aviation Concern (AAC), the holding company that owned the Antonov Company, which builds the world's largest transport aircraft. We also pointed out, though, that just because AAC is going out of business, this doesn't necessarily keep Antonov Company from continuing to build airplanes. …
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The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to invest GBP350 million (USD465 million) to keep its Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules transport fleet flying through to the type's recently revised out-of-service date (OSD) of 2030, the government disclosed on 5 September. Answering questions in parliament, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Harriett Baldwin, said the investment would be made to support the 14 of the 24 aircraft that were extended from 2022 to 2030 in the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) 2015. "The SDSR 2015 announced an OSD extension of 14 C-130J [C4 variant] aircraft from 2022 to 2030. This does not constitute an extension o…
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More than 150 airmen and four C-130s arrived at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, Tuesday in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, the Defense Department’s latest name for operations in Afghanistan. The Reservists from the 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, during their four-month deployment outside Doha will provide “airlift, airdrop and aeromedical evacuation support to operations throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility,” according to a release from the base. The Air Force anticipates a busy 2016 in the theater, even if President Obama said last year the U.S. will maintain 5,500 troops — a decrease from the current 9,8…
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A C-130J Super Hercules comes to a screeching halt on a runway less than half the length of those typically used at stateside airfields. The cargo bay door is opened onto a pitch black airstrip – a shock for those used to seeing bright lights guiding pilots down the ramp. The airfield is near Farah, a remote location in western Afghanistan. For C-130J pilots belonging to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron out of Bagram Airfield this is exactly the atypical situation they train for. “The crews always love the challenge – getting the Herk dirty, that’s what we live for,” said Lt. Col. Sarah Santoro, the 774th EAS commander. Afghanistan has been called the “He…
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