The first MC-130J special-mission aircraft slated for conversion to the Air Force’s new AC-130J gunship configuration made its maiden flight this week from Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Marietta, Ga., announced the company. This airframe will feature the modular Precision Strike Package, a scalable weapons and sensor suite already carried on Air Force Special Operations Command’s MC-130Ws. It is scheduled to fly as a gunship in early 2014, according to the company’s Dec. 4 release. Lockheed Martin announced in July that it had begun assembling this airframe in Marietta. The Air Force intends to acquire 16 new-build AC-130Js under a $1.6 billion recapitalization project meant to replace its legacy AC-130Hs and provide additional gunship capacity. The AC-130J fleet is slated to commence operations in 2015. Lockheed Martin noted that the Air Force has a requirement for 37 AC-130Js.
How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New
Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.