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44-year-old C-130 tactical airlifter that received a Purple Heart during the Vietnam War and has been operating in Southwest Asia has flown its last combat mission. Capt. Christopher Moore reports that the veteran Hercules, No. 63-7865, accumulated more than 29,500 flying hours over its service. It now goes back to Ramstein AB, Germany, its current assignment, before making the trip to the Boneyard at the Davis-Monthan Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center.
Since President Donald Trump first unveiled his “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative in late January, much of the focus for it has been focused on space—how the Pentagon may deploy dozens, if not hundreds, of sensors and interceptors into orbit to protect the continental U.S. from missile barrages. But the Air…