Four of the Air Force’s new C-130J tactical airlifters flew a total of 5,444 sorties over the course of a 20-month “trial” deployment to Southwest Asia, according to statistics just released by Lockheed Martin. Those four transports—from Air National Guard units in California, Maryland, and Rhode Island—hauled more than 12,000 tons of cargo and 70,000 passengers. Air Mobility Command declared initial operational capability with the J Model last fall.
President Donald Trump on July 4 signed into law $150 billion in defense funds as part of the tax-and-spending package known as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” after congressional Republicans approved the legislation in narrow, drawn-out votes earlier this week.
