Testers at Edwards 
AFB, Calif., successfully completed the first five-bundle sequential Low Velocity Airdrop for the stretched C-130J, according to AFFTC. The bundles landed only five yards off the planned point of impact. While the stretch J is working its way toward operational testing, the basic C-130J in late June made its first combat airdrop flying a mission over Afghanistan.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.