According to the Accident Investigation Board reviewing the June 27, 2008 crash of a C-130H2 near Baghdad Airport, three of the transport’s four engines decayed to 60 percent RPM while the pilot “reacted in accordance with applicable directives” to handle a defensive system alert that occurred just as the aircraft lifted off. The aircraft was just 60 seconds off the runway at about 313 feet, which, combined with the low airspeed, hampered the crew’s attempt to regain power on the three stalled engines, stated the AIB executive summary. The crew managed to make a hard landing in a field, enabling all 38 people on board to evacuate with only minor injuries, but the aircraft was a total loss, estimated at nearly $40 million.
The Space Force is playing midwife to a new ecosystem of commercial satellite constellations providing alternatives to the service’s own Global Positioning Service from much closer to the Earth, making their signals more accurate and harder to jam.
