Lockheed Martin on Nov. 19 delivered to the Air Force the eighth of 14 C-130Js transports destined for the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein AB, Germany. Brig. Gen. Mark Dillon, head of the wing, accepted the aircraft at Lockheed’s plant in Marietta, Ga. “Adding another C-130J is not a linear addition; it’s geometric in terms of the capability of the airplane,” said Dillon in a release Nov. 20 from Lockheed. The wing is scheduled to receive two more C-130Js before the end of the year and its final four aircraft next year. They are replacing the C-130Es that the unit operated for years. The last E model C-130 left Ramstein for good on Nov. 2. Also on Nov. 19, Lockheed turned over to the Marine Corps the 36th of 46 KC-130J tankers on order.
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, nominee to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Defense Department needs to upgrade its electronic warfare capability and its EW training ranges; just as his predecessor said at his own confirmation hearing.