casey Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 The 165th Airlift Wing, Georgia Air National Guard received the first of eight C-130 Hercules aircraft upgrades Thursday. The C-130 Hercules, which primarily performs the tactical portion of the airlift mission, is capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for airdropping troops and equipment into hostile areas. The 165th Airlift Wing will replace its eight C-130H2s with two C-130H2.5 and six C-130H3 that are approximately 15 years newer. The newer aircraft are expected to replace the current fleet by the end of 2016. “Basically, we’re getting a newer model of the C-130. With the replacements, we are gaining enhanced navigational capability and electronic flight instrumentation whereas before all of our gages were analog. There is also an improved autopilot system,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Drew, program manager for the C-130 modernization program and a C-130 Hercules pilot. Col. Rainer Gomez, the 165th Airlift Wing commander, said the upgrades will “significantly contribute to how the 165th Airlift Wing executes our state and federal missions and allow us to be better prepared for worldwide contingencies.” The 165th Airlift Wing has approximately 1,000 airmen and has deployed in support of worldwide contingencies such as Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn. View original article at Savannahnow.com View full article Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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