An Air Force crew last week picked up a factory-fresh MC-130J special-mission aircraft from Lockheed Martin’s manufacturing plant in Marietta, Ga., announced the company. Air Force Special Operations Command is assigning this MC-130J, which left Marietta on Sept. 25, to the 352nd Special Operations Group at RAF Mildenhall, Britain, according to the company’s release. The group is scheduled to receive a fleet of 12 MC-130Js over the next five years. AFSOC is acquiring the MC-130Js to replace its legacy MC130Hs and MC-130Ps. Overall, the Air Force’s current plans call for procuring 85 MC-130Js, 16 of which Lockheed Martin will modify post-production to the AC-130J gunship standard.
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.