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.”
AFRL Taps Rocket Lab for Space Cargo Experiment
May 12, 2025
The Air Force Research Laboratory’s ambitious program to explore using rockets to deliver cargo around the globe took another step forward with an announcement of an experimental mission planned for 2026.