West Virginia and Wyoming Air National Guard C-130Hs returned from a four-month deployment supporting operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Horn of Africa, and the broader Persian Gulf region last week. Four aircraft from Cheyenne-based 153rd Airlift Wing were augmented by two C-130s from West Virginia’s 130 AW in Charleston, and nearly 100 pilots, maintainers, and support personnel, according to a wing release. The combined expeditionary unit flew 1,310 flying hours over 649 sorties, airlifting some 3,140 personnel and 2,370 tons of supplies since deploying last November. The rotation relieved the Minnesota ANG’s 133rd AW and handed-off to C-130s and airmen of the Kentucky ANG’s 123rd AW late last month, according to a release. The final Wyoming Herc returned to Cheyenne from the US Central Command area of operational responsibility on March 5.
RTX’s Raytheon unit was able to “significantly” extend the range of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile using mostly software changes in experimental tests last year, expanding the reach and lethality of the standard U.S. dogfighting weapon, company officials said Sept. 15.
