AMC chief Gen. Duncan McNabb said it will take somewhere between $22 million and $25 million per aircraft to refurbish AMC’s grounded C-130E-model aircraft with everything those old Hercs need to be viable weapons systems. Avionics, engines, and center wing boxes all need work. But even then, AMC would have upgraded but 40-year-old aircraft. “At some point, this is not good for the nation,” McNabb said, when there are brand new C-130Js and Joint Cargo Aircraft the Air Force could more profitably spend the money on instead.
The Air Force is looking to replace the three-decade-old radar warning system that protects the coastlines and borders of the United States and a few remote locations.