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work has begun on Air Force Special Operations Command’s first AC-130J gunship at Lockheed Martin’s plant in Marietta, Ga., announced the company. Lockheed Martin is converting an MC-130J Commando II special-mission airplane currently on Marietta’s production line to the gunship configuration via the addition of the modular Precision Strike Package, states the company’s July 23 release. AFSOC’s MC-130W Dragon Spear special-mission aircraft already carry PSP, a scalable weapons and sensor suite. The Air Force plans to purchase 16 new-build AC-130Js under a $1.6 billion recapitalization effort to replace its legacy AC-130Hs and provide additional capacity. The AC-130J fleet is slated to begin initial operations in 2015. With the addition of the AC-130Js, the Air Force plans to have a combined fleet of 33 gunships, including the 17 AC-130Us currently on strength.
The Space Development Agency says it’s on track to issue its next batch of missile warning and tracking satellite contracts this month after those awards were delayed by the Pentagon’s decision to divert funds from the agency to pay troops during this fall’s prolonged government shutdown.
