The Air Force’s decision to only upgrade some 220 C-130s as a result of cost growth in the avionics modernization program may not be the final word. Gene Rector of the Macon Telegraph reports that USAF is working up a plan to include, if possible, another 166 Hercules—including many flown by Air Force Special Operations Command. Col. Kevin Buckley, head of the 866th Aeronautical Systems Group at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, told the Georgia newspaper that discussions on the additional aircraft are underway, but funding restrictions could still rule the day. USAF expects to submit a plan to DOD within the next three months. The Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia was to have a large share of the AMP work.
Air Force senior statesmen explained the reasons they jointly sent a letter to Congress urging restoration of the E-7 Wedgetail and more F-35s to the fiscal 2026 defense budget.