The 28th and final factory-fresh Lockheed Martin C-130J transport destined for beddown with the 317th Airlift Group at Dyess AFB, Tex., touched down at the Texas base on Thursday, announced the company. Gen. Paul Selva, Air Mobility Command chief, flew the aircraft to Dyess from the company’s production facility in Marietta, Ga., states Lockheed Martin’s July 25 release. With the arrival of aircraft number 5726, the 317th AG is now the largest C-130J operator in the world, states the release. (See also Abilene Reporter-News report and One Shy of a Full House.)
The KC-Z4, a blended wing body tanker concept being developed by startup JetZero, could fuel larger groups of aircraft at longer range to hold more targets at risk, company officials say.