Boeing officials say the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program that suffered a Nunn-McCurdy breach earlier this year is meeting test milestones, some of them “significantly ahead of schedule,” according to a company release. It flew the first AMP aircraft earlier this month with engineering upgrades that enhanced the aircraft’s heads-up display. That aircraft has since gone back to Edwards AFB, Calif., for further testing. A second Hercules in the program has received a software upgrade that provides a fully functional Flight Management System, essentially “eliminating the need for the navigator position in the cockpit.” Boeing expects to get a third aircraft this month. After the breach, the Air Force decided to reduce by around 80 the number of aircraft getting the AMP upgrade.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
