An MC-130P Combat Shadow assigned to the 67th Special Operations Squadron flew the type’s final UK-based sortie in late January. The aircraft visited several former squadron haunts on its way out. “We were able to take the airplane to all the fields that the 67th SOS has been stationed at in the United Kingdom,” said pilot and squadron assistant ops director Lt. Col. Scott Hartman in a release. Currently based at RAF Mildenhall, England, the crew flew over former 67th SOS bases at RAF Sculthorpe, RAF Prestwick, RAF Woodbridge, and RAF Alconbury, refueling a CV-22 Osprey en-route on Jan. 24. Although many of the airfields are now closed, “it was a great chance to get a feel for the long history that the 67th has had here in the UK,” added Hartman. Mildenhall is swapping its legacy MC-130Ps for Commando IIs as part of Air Force Special Operations Command’s overall Herc fleet upgrade.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.