Once Terminated, Now a Hit: 
The Air Force’s new C-130J model Hercules tactical airlifter escaped the Pentagon ax last year because it turned out to be more costly to cancel the program than finish the procurement. Now, it seems, the save was very prudent. “All of a sudden, they’re now starting to fall in love with the airplane,” remarked Air Force Secretary Wynne at a House hearing Wednesday. Wynne said that he expects “to get some pressure to actually increase the buy,” currently set at 79 aircraft. One reason, according to Chief of Staff Moseley, is the need to modify more C-130s for the special operations world. That could, said Moseley, “take us to more J models.”
The Air Force wants to pump more than $12 billion over the next five years into its new affordable long-range missiles program and recently asked industry to push the flights of some of those munitions beyond 1,200 miles.