The 2,500th C-130 airframe produced on Lockheed Martin’s production line at Marietta, Ga., was delivered to the 71st Rescue Squadron at Moody AFB, Ga., last week, the company announced. “The Hercules is a global asset and versatile workhorse that is truly without equal. This delivery represents the C-130’s strength in numbers and its ongoing relevancy to operators around the world,” company C-130 Vice President and General Manager George Shultz said in a release. Since Lockheed delivered the first C-130A to the Air Force in 1956, a total of 68 international operators have logged more than 22 million flying hours, according to the company. Lockheed Martin’s current production of C-130J Super Hercules alone has accrued more than 1.3 million flight hours in service with 16 different countries. The HC-130J Combat King II rescue support aircraft, serial number 13-0782, was delivered to Moody on Dec. 11, stated a release.
Promotions to the Space Force’s second highest enlisted grade, senior master sergeant, have surged to the highest level in the young service’s history, bolstering the senior NCO corps as officials plan to aggressively expand the force and especially the enlisted corps.