HC-130J Rollout

April 7, 2010

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday that the Air Force’s first HC-130J combat rescue tanker left the company’s assembly facility in Marietta, Ga., on April 3 and is now being painted prior to enter flight testing. The company said this airframe will be presented to the Air Force during an April 19 ceremony and then delivered later in the year. The new tanker is expected to enter operations in mid-2012. Final assembly of this first HC-130J began last October.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

Construction Begins on Prototype Silo for New Sentinel ICBM

New Acquisition Czars Say They’re Not Trying to Blow Up the System

Key E-3 AWACS Damaged in Iranian Attack on Saudi Air Base

F-35 from Nellis Air Force Base Crashes in Nevada

Related

How the Space Force Is Supporting NASA’s Artemis II Mission

March 31, 2026
In many ways, the Space Force’s role in NASA’s Artemis II mission, scheduled to lift off from the Eastern Range the evening of April 1, is the same as any other launch it supports. Space Launch Delta 45, which oversees operations at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., will ensure…

F-35 from Nellis Air Force Base Crashes in Nevada

March 31, 2026
A U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighter from Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., crashed in the sprawling training complex surrounding the base, service officials said March 31. The pilot suffered minor injuries and is being treated after ejecting from the aircraft.

New Acquisition Czars Say They’re Not Trying to Blow Up the System

March 30, 2026
Pentagon leaders, eager to move fast and avoid pitfalls that have plagued defense acquisition in the past, are handing authorities and oversight for some of their biggest programs to officers outside the traditional structure. But the Air Force and Space Force four-stars given those responsibilities say they don’t intend their jobs to be a permanent change to the system.