Air Force Reserve Command’s 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick AFB, Fla., recently retired its last legacy HC-130 King search and rescue support aircraft, the unit announced. The unit’s six heavily used HC-130P/N airframes were grounded last year due to corrosion and would have required an expensive and time-consuming depot-level overhaul to continue in service, AFRC leadership acknowledged. The aircraft will be back-filled by less-worn HC-130s made available by the ongoing recapitalization of the Active Duty fleet with new-build HC-130J Combat King IIs, according to a unit release. “We are excited about receiving our newer [slightly used] aircraft and making them a part of the family,” said 920th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Commander Maj. Stephen Young. The last of Patrick’s former fleet, serial number 65-00976, departed for the boneyard after several hours’? delay to replace an engine on Sept. 9, 2015. The aircraft accumulated more than 16,000 flight hours before retiring to storage.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design the Air Force said.