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.)
Members of the Air Force Reserve’s 920th Rescue Wing helped save 11 airplane crash survivors off the coast of Florida on May 12. The Reserve Airmen were flying an HC-130J Combat King II and an HH-60W Jolly Green II on a routine training flight when a Coast Guard call diverted…