ADVERTISEMENT

Another Combat King II

Nov. 30, 2012

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

The Air Force’s fifth HC-130J Combat King II aircraft left Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Marietta, Ga., on Nov. 29, bound for Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., announced the company. This airframe, aircraft number 5708, is one of 15 HC-130Js that the Air Force has on order to date for Air Combat Command. Overall, the service intends to acquire 37 of these specially configured airplanes for personnel recovery roles, including tasks like airdrops, helicopter air-to-air refueling, and forward-area ground refueling. They will replace the Air Force’s legacy HC-130N/Ps. (See also First Combat-Ready HC-130J Enters the Inventory.)

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

Wilsbach Shares Airmen’s Stories of Epic Fury, Says 10 Got Battlefield Promotions for DUDE 44 Rescue

Meink Reveals Space Force Has ‘On-Orbit Space Control Weapons’

Lockheed Plans to Fly ‘Vectis’ CCA by End of 2027, Already Working on More Aircraft

Air Force Leaders Say Point Defense Is No Longer ‘Side Hustle,’ Eye Acquisition Changes

Related

Air Force Eyes New-Build F-16s to Boost Fighter Force

Sept. 16, 2026
The Air Force will consider acquiring new F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to answer capacity shortfalls in its aging fighter fleet, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. These discussions are happening as the Air Force is building its proposed fiscal 2028 budget and the five-year spending plan that goes…

Caine: US Must Prepare for Forces to Be ‘Tracked in Real Time’

Sept. 16, 2026
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine said the U.S. needs to prepared for future conflicts in which its adversaries will be able to closely track the location of American forces and attack with autonomous systems that use artificial intelligence.

Space Development Agency Aims for Two More Launches This Year

Sept. 16, 2026
The Space Development Agency wants to wrap up its Tranche 1 launch campaign by the end of spring 2027, flying six more batches of satellites to build out its tracking and data transport constellations, according to Director Gurpartap Sandhoo.

NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes

Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.

WATCH: Simulating Complex Threats in the Pacific with CAE

Sept. 15, 2026
Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.orgAt AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, CAE takes Air & Space...

B-52 Engine, Radar Upgrades Hit New Milestones

Sept. 15, 2026
The Air Force’s program to re-engine the B-52H Stratofortress has moved from its technology maturation and risk reduction phase to engineering and manufacturing development, marking a new milestone in the sweeping overhaul of the Cold War-era bomber, a top official said Sept. 15.