The 86th Airlift Wing of Ramstein AB, Germany retired one of its C-130 Hercules yesterday, reports Stars & Stripes, because the “E” model is out of date. The cargo plane, nicknamed the “Ace of Spades,” began its service life on June 5, 1964. Its new home will be the boneyard, the familiar sobriquet for the Aerospace Maintenance and Recovery Center at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., where it will be stripped of any parts that might be useable for current models.
Supply chain and vanishing vendor issues make supporting old nuclear systems increasingly difficult, Global Strike Command’s logistics and engineering chief Brig. Gen. Kenyon K. Bell said. Additive printing will be a big help but can be hampered by bureaucracy.