A factory-fresh C-130J arrived at Little Rock AFB, Ark., becoming the newest Super Hercules assigned to the base since 2009, announced manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Maj. Gen. Margaret Woodward, who runs the Air Force Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, ferried the aircraft on Aug. 20 from the company’s assembly facility in Marietta, Ga., to Little Rock, a hub of C-130 operations and training. “The C-130 is such an iconic American aircraft” and “to be afforded the opportunity to deliver the very newest one in the fleet is a huge honor for me,” said Woodward. “The fact of the matter is the United States military simply could not maintain [its] forward operating bases without the short-field landing and precision airdrop capabilities the C-130 brings to the fight,” she said. This new airframe, serial number 5728, is the first of five new C-130Js scheduled for delivery to Little Rock by year’s end, states Lockheed Martin’s release. Little Rock received its first C-130J in 2004. (Includes Little Rock report by SSgt. Jake Barreiro)
More than two dozen F-35 Lightning II fighters are heading to Kingsley Field, Ore., after Air Force Secretary Troy Meink signed the official record of decision to base the jets there on Oct. 5, clearing the last bureaucratic hurdle for the Air National Guard base to host the service’s third…