Tunisia will purchase two C-130J transports, becoming the first African nation to acquire the J-model aircraft, Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2013 and 2014, the company said. Contract signing took place in February in Tunis. Tunisia already operates some C-130Hs and C-130Bs. It becomes the 12th nation to select the C-130J, joining Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, India, Iraq, Italy, Norway, Oman, Qatar, and the US. US Air Force C-130Js made their debut in Africa back in December supporting Air Forces Africa’s activities on that continent.
The Air Force is shoring up its cyber defenses both on and off base for critical infrastructure such as water and electrical power, and industry experts are calling for more, even specialized, dedicated microgrids offsite to support USAF operations in case of a total blackout caused by cyberattacks.
