Technicians recently refurbished and delivered a third former Air National Guard C-27J Spartan to the Coast Guard from the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., officials announced. The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan initially stored a total of 13 Spartans—all of which are slated for regeneration for the Coast Guard, 309th AMARG spokeswoman Terry Pittman told Air Force Magazine on Aug. 19. Three additional C-27Js are currently undergoing rework at the 309th AMARG, and seven more are undergoing prep or are still in desert storage, she added. The Coast Guard is taking on 14 total airframes—including all those in storage and one contractor-held example—while the seven remaining ex-ANG aircraft were ferried directly to US Special Operations Command, Pittman said. The aircraft ferried to CGAS Elizabeth City, N.C., on July 28, joined? the service’s two other C-27s currently conducting aircrew and maintenance training, according to a release. The Coast Guard plans to eventually retrofit the aircraft with mission-specific equipment, including a search radar and sensors for search and rescue, maritime patrol, and drug and migrant interdiction.
In the wake of a major Chinese military shakeup, the head of U.S. Space Command warned of China’s “breathtakingly fast” advances in space during visits to Japan and South Korea. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting’s trip to the Indo-Pacific is his first overseas visit since taking command of SPACECOM in January.