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Lockheed Martin’s proposed C-130J-SOF export variant will be tailored to different international operators’ requirements as interest in the type grows worldwide. According to Lockheed Martin, the C-130J-SOF will be the tenth J-model Super Hercules variant to enter production, including the MC-130J Commando II, which can trace its ancestry to the original MC-130E Combat Talon introduced more than 50 years ago. The proven MC-130J Commando II, which entered service in 2011 and remains in production, provides a developmental baseline for the C-130J-SOF. Tony Frese, VP of business development, air mobility and maritime missions at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, told Shephard that legacy...

On July 26, 2017, U.S. Air Force commandos in the United Kingdom practiced deploying to an austere airfield to quickly refuel and rearm F-15C fighters. It was the first time that Air Force special operators and their MC-130 transports had teamed up with F-15C fighters at a so-called “Forward Arming and Refueling Point,” or FARP. The exercise, which the Air Force dubbed “Rapid Eagle,” expands on the similar “Rapid Raptor” concept involving F-22 stealth fighters — and could help the flying branch sustain combat sorties during some future war with, say, Russia. Rapid Eagle involved three separate wings — the...

The C-130's legacy as the do everything air hauler is well cemented into the annals of aviation and military history. But over 60 years after it first flew, the iconic design just keeps getting better. Today it's all about multirole platforms, where one aircraft can execute many different missions. For much of its life, the USAF has fielded tricked-out special operations variants of the mighty Hercules, and in recent years, bolt-on systems have given the most mild-mannered Hercules incredible new capabilities—from surveillance to close air support. Now Lockheed is rolling all the modular versatility it can into a single exportable...

<p>I have been a proud member of the 109th Airlift Wing since I earned my wings at Undergraduate Pilot training in Feb of 94. Ever since that time I have been flying, exclusively, the LC-130H aircraft. While we have had many a famous and high ranking person on our aircraft and while I have been fortunate to fly several, our unit just got to help out one of America's most amazing and storied heroes, USAF Retired, Colonel Buzz Aldrin!</p>

THE PENTAGON – The Marine Corps intends to add improved sensors and precision-strike capability to its entire KC-130J Super Hercules tanker/transport plane and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor fleets, applying the “Harvest Hawk” concept to make both aircraft more multi-mission, the deputy commandant of the Marine Corps for aviation told USNI News this week. Lt. Gen. Jon Davis said the Marines’ next aviation plan would include upgrading all 79 C-130Js into Harvest Hawk-capable platforms. The Hercules Airborne Weapons Kit (HAWK) includes both modifications to the plane – the installation of a new MX-29 sensor ball with a laser designator on the nose...

The Taliban Friday claimed to have shot down a C-130 military transport plane in eastern Afghanistan, with NATO confirming that 11 people including six US soldiers were killed in the crash. NATO did not confirm the cause of the crash but it comes as Afghan forces -- backed by NATO special forces and US air support -- pushed into the centre of the northern city of Kunduz which was captured by the Taliban on Monday. "Our mujahideen have shot down a four-engine US aircraft in Jalalabad," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter. "Based on credible information 15 invading forces...

Six U.S. servicemembers and five contractors were killed in a C-130 crash at Jalalabad Airport in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said late Thursday. The crash, which occurred just after midnight Friday Afghanistan time, involved a C-130J assigned to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, which is part of the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing. A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the incident publicly, said told the Associated Press that there was no indication of hostile fire. All aboard were assigned to Operation Resolute Support, which is the NATO-led mission to provide training...

A U.S. C-130 transport plane crashed near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, early Friday, two defense officials told NBC News. The crash happened shortly after midnight local time near Jalalabad Airport. There is no immediate information on how many passengers were on the transport plane or whether there are casualties.

A U.S. C-130 transport plane crashed near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, early Friday, two defense officials told NBC News. The crash happened shortly after midnight local time near Jalalabad Airport.

Sagem’s AASM (armament air-sol modulaire) rocket-boosted weapon family, also known as the Hammer, is being proposed as armament for the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. The weapon would be carried on a rack that fits under the wing pylon of the C-130 in a quick installation that requires no intrusive modifications. Nor does it require integration with the aircraft’s navigation system. Known as SSA-1101 Gerfaut, the rack system is the brainchild of the AA/ROK company, which specializes in developing advanced defense technologies. Pylon and weapons rack specialist Rafaut joined the team, supplying its AUF2 twin-launcher that is in routine use on the...

Tim Nguyen regards the C-130 “Hercules” as a “good friend.” The 60-year-old military aircraft has been the focus of his professional career, and quite possibly saved his life. During the 1975 Fall of Saigon, Nguyen -- then serving in the South Vietnamese air force -- escaped on the last C-130 out of Vietnam. During a lull in enemy fire, he emerged from a bunker at Tan Son Nhut Air Base to see the last flyable C-130 stopping and going on the taxiway. The aircraft’s rear ramp was still open, apparently weighed down by the crowd of people standing on it.

The AC-130 flying gunship fleet is one of the most fabled and feared assets in the entire USAF inventory. Known for its ability to unleash a broadside of cannon fire in the dead of night, the newest of the AC-130 lot is more about smart bombs than raining lead and howitzer shells down on the enemy. Before the turn of the decade it became clear that the aging AC-130 fleet was in low supply and exceedingly high demand. As a result the Air Force Special Operations Command decided that it should augment the existing fleet on AC-130H and AC-130Us in...

watch"><>p>Just a cool video about the Blue Angels' C-130.

Former Pacific Fleet chief: We need full disclosure on Benghazi — now POSTED AT 9:31 AM ON OCTOBER 30, 2012 BY ED MORRISSEY Retired Admiral James A. Lyons likely pulled few punches as commander in chief of the US Pacific Fleet during his career … and he hasn’t started pulling punches now, either. In a blistering column at The Washington Times, the former commander blasts the lack of action from the US when the administration learned our consulate in Benghazi had come under attack, writing that “courage was lacking” that might have saved at least some of the four American...

U.S. special operations forces in Libya could have saved Americans killed in the attack last Sept. 11 on the consulate in Benghazi but were told to stand down, a State Department whistle-blower has told congressional investigators. The testimony by Gregory Hicks, who will appear before a House panel on Wednesday, contradicts previous testimony by administration officials who have said all U.S. forces in Libya were deployed the night of the attack. Hicks was in Tripoli during the attack and became the top U.S. diplomat in Libya when Ambassador Christopher Stevens was killed. He said the special operations team was ready...

The deputy of slain U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens has told congressional investigators that a team of Special Forces prepared to fly from Tripoli to Benghazi during the Sept. 11, 2012 attacks was forbidden from doing so by U.S. Special Operations Command South Africa. The account from Gregory Hicks is in stark contrast to assertions from the Obama administration, which insisted that nobody was ever told to stand down and that all available resources were utilized. Hicks gave private testimony to congressional investigators last month in advance of his upcoming appearance at a congressional hearing Wednesday. According to excerpts released Monday,...

It has been claimed that CIA agents on the ground during the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi twice asked for permission to help Ambassador Chris Stevens and twice were told to stand down. Furthermore sources present during the deadly six-hour assault have said that a desperate last request for military assistance once the CIA themselves came under attack was denied, even though elite counter-terrorism units were only two hours away.

Lockheed Martin’s Sea Hercules unveiled Lockheed Martin has responded with the Sea Hercules to the Indian Navy's Request for Information (RFI) for Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft, as first reported by StratPost. Artist's impression of the Sea Hercules. Source: Lockheed Martin US defense and aviation giant Lockheed Martin unveiled the maritime version of its successful C-130 Hercules medium airlifter at the Singapore Air Show in February 2012. Vice President of Business Development, George Standridge, pointed to a tiny inset image in a slide during a presentation made at the show, calling it the ‘Sea Herc’. “You take the well–proven airframe...

Harvest Hawk Gives Marines Peace of Mind (Source: US Marine Corps; issued April 2, 2012) KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --- A modified KC-130J flies over Afghanistan ready to unleash a tremendous amount of firepower for the Marines it supports. Equipped to fire Hellfire and Griffin missiles, the aircraft known as the Harvest Hawk, provides close-air-support (CAS) for Marines conducting ground operations. “We can give the commander on the ground peace of mind knowing he has these assets in the sky,” said Capt. Dusty Cook, a pilot for the Harvest Hawk. Cook, a native of East Bernard, Texas, said the aircraft has...

Functional laser weapons are just five years away. Advocates hope that won’t always be the case. The Air Force has been working on airborne laser weapons for more than 40 years, but a fielded system remains elusive. Experts also warn that the US does not enjoy a commanding lead in laser research. And the Air Force’s flagship laser weapon program, the Airborne Laser (later called the Airborne Laser Testbed) was terminated late last year and is now being dismantled. Still, service and industry experts predict there is plenty of reason for realistic optimism. Operational laser systems that can perform a...