Boeing has delivered to the Air Force the last of the three C-130 test aircraft upgraded with state-of-the-art cockpit equipment during the developmental phase of the C-130 avionics modernization program. The company says the program is now ready to shift into low-rate initial production. “This is a significant development for Boeing and the Air Force, as it is the most comprehensive avionics upgrade for the C-130 in its 50 years of Air Force service,” said Mahesh Reddy, Boeing’s C-130 AMP director. This third test aircraft was flown on June 30 from Boeing’s facility in San Antonio to Little Rock AFB, Ark., where it is now being prepared for programmed depot maintenance. The two other C-130 AMP test aircraft are on their way to Robins AFB, Ga., for programmed depot maintenance. The Air Force plans to upgrade roughly 220 C-130H2, -H2.5, and -H3 aircraft under AMP. (Boeing release)
Multiple U.S. Air Force F-15 fighters have deployed to the strategic outpost of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean to protect the myriad of assets deployed there, including strategic bombers.