The Pentagon last week notified Congress of the potential foreign military sale of two C-130J transports to Norway. The Royal Norwegian Air Force, which already operates several C-130Js, requested the additional Herks “to fulfill national and international airlift commitments and requirements, and to increase its capability to provide intratheater lift” in Afghanistan, states the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s June 7 release. Under the estimated $300 million deal, manufacturer Lockheed Martin would equip these C-130Js to USAF standards, with a full self-defense suite and modern communications systems, states the release. The proposed FMS package includes the aircraft and Rolls-Royce engines as well as spares, contractor logistical support, and training equipment, according to DSCA. Norway lost one of the four C-130Js that it purchased in 2007 in a crash in March during an exercise in Sweden.
The Space Force should take bold, decisive steps—and soon—to develop the capabilities and architecture needed to support more flexible, dynamic operations in orbit and counter Chinese aggression and technological progress, according to a new report from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
