The Air Force issued a $29.6 million radio upgrade contract to bring its legacy C-130 fleet into compliance with European airspace rules, contractor Raytheon announced on Dec. 10. “Our focus is on ensuring Hercules operators can communicate freely, reliably, and securely wherever their missions take them,” company airborne communications vice president Scott Whatmough said in a release. Raytheon will upgrade a total of 178 C-130Hs—the bulk of the Air Force’s legacy Hercules fleet—with new Very-High Frequency communications radios. The company has already upgraded the Air Force’s remaining C-130H1s, as well as the New York Air National Guard’s LC-130 Skibirds under previous contracts, according to the company. Global air traffic management compatibility forced the Air Force to revive a scaled-back version of its canceled C-130 Avionics Modernization Program. The new radios will allow the aircraft to continue operating in European airspace, and are part of overall modifications aimed at maintaining basic flight safety and compliance with international standards.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.