Think Outside the Wing Box

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

The Air Force Chief of Staff says he and the Air Staff are looking at re-jiggering the plan for C-130 acquisition. The reason: It will cost about $20 million a piece to fix the cracked wing boxes on 170 1960s-vintage C-130Es. Meanwhile, a brand-new C-130J costs about $70 million each. “We want to know … is there a better way?” said Gen. Michael Moseley. First priority for the Hercules fleet will be the Avionics Modernization Program for the C-130H models, and USAF is looking at a “continued buy” of some number of C-130Js rather than fixing up the old ones, explained Moseley at a seminar Tuesday. He has concerns “about spending $20 million to fix the E, because at the end of the day, it’s still an E.”

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org