Lockheed Martin has just delivered the first C-130J Hercules airlifter for 2006 to Air Force Reserve Command’s 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB, Miss. This new longer-fuselage J model is the fifth of eight new Hercules that the unit will gain. Lockheed says it has delivered 136 of the total 182 C-130Js the Air Force has on order.
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.