The Arkansas Air National Guard’s 189th Airlift Wing got a sneak peek at one of the first C-130Hs with a new digital cockpit on March 21 when one of the test aircraft for the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program made a stop at Little Rock AFB, Ark. The 189th AW will be the Air Force’s schoolhouse for the modernized C-130s. Current plans have it on tap to receive nine of the upgraded transports, according to Col. Jim Summers, the wing’s commander. The first AMP’ed C-130 is expected to arrive in July 2010, and the wing anticipates being certified as the AMP formal training unit in 2013. (Little Rock report by MSgt. Bob Oldham)
The Air Force is requesting about $141 million for initial enlistment bonuses in its fiscal 2026 budget, while Space Force wants $13 million.
