Two HC-130Ps deployed downrange last week in what is expected to be the final Active Duty Combat King deployment before the Air Force transitions to the new HC-130J Combat King II. The two aircraft, serial Nos. 64-4860 and 65-0982, left Moody AFB, Ga., March 21, along with 33 airmen from the 23rd Wing, in support of operations in Air Forces Africa, states a March 25 release. Of the 37 HC-130Js the Air Force plans to acquire, nine will be based at Moody. (See also Moody Gets First HC-130J.)
Today’s armament maintainers are tasked with performing flightline (O-Level) maintenance with an assortment of legacy test sets that greatly limit the ability to quickly and efficiently verify armament system readiness, diagnose failures, and ultimately return the aircraft to full mission...