Lockheed Martin announced the delivery of the 2400th C-130 Hercules that it has manufactured on its production line in Marietta, Ga. The company said Marietta’s Hercules assembly activities represent “the longest continuously operating military aircraft production line in history.” The 2,400th C-130 is an Air Force MC-130J special-mission aircraft destined for beddown at Cannon AFB, N.M. This aircraft’s delivery follows a record year for C-130J production in 2011, with 33 C-130Js supplied, a new high for the C-130J model, according to the company. These 33 C-130Js were in six different configurations for six operators: Air Mobility Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, the Marine Corps, Canada, India, and Qatar. According to the Air Force, the company delivered the first C-130s in December 1956.
The Space Force is planning improvements at its launch ranges to better accommodate the logistics and infrastructure demands that come with the launch industry’s shift toward reusable rockets, according to the commanders of the service’s two launch deltas.
