A C-130J Super Hercules left Lockheed Martin’s production facility at Marietta Ga., on its ferry flight to Dyess AFB, Tex. Delivered to the base’s 317th Airlift Group on April 18, the stretched C-130J-30 is the 18th of Dyess’ planned 28 new airlifters. Col. Gerald Goodfellow, Dyess’ 7th Bomb Wing vice commander, piloted the aircraft on the ferry flight and handed over the airlifter’s ceremonial keys to the 317th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, according to a base release. Dyess took delivery of its 17th C-130J—also a stretched dash-thirty—on April 4.
The Air Force on March 12 awarded contract modifications worth a combined $2.4 billion to Boeing to procure an undisclosed number of E-7 Wedgetail as part of the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase and continue work on the airborne battle management aircraft’s radar.