An Air Force crew last week picked up a factory-fresh MC-130J special-mission aircraft from Lockheed Martin’s manufacturing plant in Marietta, Ga., announced the company. Air Force Special Operations Command is assigning this MC-130J, which left Marietta on Sept. 25, to the 352nd Special Operations Group at RAF Mildenhall, Britain, according to the company’s release. The group is scheduled to receive a fleet of 12 MC-130Js over the next five years. AFSOC is acquiring the MC-130Js to replace its legacy MC130Hs and MC-130Ps. Overall, the Air Force’s current plans call for procuring 85 MC-130Js, 16 of which Lockheed Martin will modify post-production to the AC-130J gunship standard.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.

