The first C-130 transport that will undergo a radically new maintenance process being applied to the entire C-130 fleet arrived as planned July 31 at Robins AFB, Ga., home of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, the C-130 fleet’s depot. It is the first of three C-130s that will enter the ALC before year’s end to validate the new high-velocity maintenance process, which is designed to shorten the time that individual C-130s are down for maintenance and inspections, thereby making more of them available on a daily basis for missions. Under HVM, C-130s will enter the depot every 18 months instead of every five to six years as the practice has been. The Air Force has also approved HVM for the B-1B fleet and is assessing it for the F-22. (Robins report by Ed Drohan) (For more, read High Velocity Maintenance in the August issue of Air Force Magazine.)
KC-46’s Refueling Boom Damaged While Refueling F-22s
July 8, 2025
A U.S. Air Force KC-46 tanker suffered damage to its boom while refueling F-22 Raptors off the coast of Virginia on July 8, Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed, with reported radio communication from the crew indicating the boom “detached.”