Airmen gather to mark the retirement of the last five MC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft during a ceremony at Duke Field, Fla. The Combat Talon I flew its first combat mission in 1966 and participated in all major U.S. conflicts up until its retirement.
After years of experiments and tests, senior Air Force leaders say they're on the verge of using C-17s and other cargo aircraft to launch cruise missiles via airdrop, touting the development as a way to bolster the combat fleet and a major shift in the service’s mindset.