Posted by Courtney E. Howard
MARIETTA, Ga., 19 April 2010. At ceremonies in Abilene, Texas, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz delivered the first of 28 Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules airlifters to the 317th Airlift Group at Dyess Air Force Base. Schwartz flew the C-130J to Dyess from Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas.
In delivering the first aircraft, the Air Force's top uniformed officer said the C-130 has been flying in the skies over Abilene for almost 50 years, noting that the "latest version of the backbone of our tactical airlift capability will continue the great legacy built by generations of aviators."
"The delivery of this C-130J and others like it is a step toward modernizing our airlift inventories," General Schwartz said. "We'll continue to make progress in this area over the next few years."
The new aircraft will replace the Dyess fleet of 33 C-130s flown by the 317th Airlift Group. The C-130J Super Hercules fleet will be delivered over the next two years with final delivery in 2012.
Other nations which are operating, or have ordered, the C-130J include: Australia, Canada, Denmark, India, Iraq, Italy, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia. and the United Kingdom. Most recently Israel signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance with the U.S. Government to acquire the C-130J.
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