Little Rock Air Force Base's primary unit welcomed a brand-new C-130J to its fleet Thursday, signaling the near completion of its full transition to the newest model of combat airlift aircraft.
About 75 airmen craned their necks and watched as the latest model of the C-130, dubbed the "Super Hercules," flew overhead Thursday afternoon. Minutes later, the group applauded when the delivery crew parked the airplane on the flight line and exited single file. The plane was marked already with the base's insignia -- the words "The Rock" below an American flag.
The C-130 J-model -- valued at $73 million -- is now part of the 19th Airlift Wing, an active-duty unit that uses the aircraft to transport supplies and troops. It belongs to the unit's 61st Airlift Squadron.
"The 61st Airlift Squadron will be home to this aircraft and will be responsible for deploying it to combat and contingency operations, providing worldwide tactical airlift capabilities," Capt. Drew Miller said during a short ceremony.
With the addition of its 24th C-130J, which can climb higher and fly faster than the older C-130 H-model, the 19th Airlift Wing is now four planes and one year away from having its full fleet of 28. The last plane is expected to arrive in late summer 2016.
The unit has been shifting slowly away from the aging C-130H for years. The 314th Airlift Wing, which was previously the base's primary unit, received its first J-model in 2004. By the time the 19th Airlift Wing was established as the host unit in 2008, Little Rock Air Force Base owned 11 C-130Js.
On Thursday, the 19th Airlift Wing's final four C-130Hs sat on the flight line, parked just to the west of the new plane. The H-models aren't being used and will be moved out soon, said Col. Christopher Bennett, the vice commander of the 19th Airlift Wing.
A delivery crew from the base in Jacksonville traveled to the Lockheed Martin factory in Marietta, Ga., on Tuesday to fly home the newest C-130J. The crew was led by Col. Daniel Lockert, who finished off Thursday's event by handing a golden ceremonial key to a crew chief with the 61st Airlift Squadron.
Lockert said an aircraft maintenance crew would spend a week checking out the C-130 before it was added to the flight schedule.
"In about a week, it will deploy to whatever mission the [Operations Group] has for this aircraft," he said.
As airmen stepped in to take a tour of the newest C-130J, Bennett said, "every additional C-130 we get helps us." At any given time, approximately 400 airmen and a dozen C-130s from the 19th Airlift Wing are deployed around the world.
Besides the 19th Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base remains home to the active-duty 314th Airlift Wing, which trains crews to fly C-130Js. The U.S. Air Force Reserve's 913th Airlift Group is also on base, as is the Arkansas Air National Guard's 189th Airlift Wing, which trains crews on the C-130Hs.
With multiple units operating the C-130s, Little Rock Air Force Base is known as the home to combat airlift. The latest economic impact study released by the base estimates that in 2014 it supported about 70 C-130s.
The base is set to hold on to the world's largest fleet of C-130s under a Defense Department plan sent to Congress in March.
In the report, the Air Force recommends reducing the total number of C-130s and consolidating them into fewer locations.
The Air Force wants to drop its fleet from 358 to between 248 and 320 C-130s, which the report states is enough to meet the country's needs while saving money to go toward modernizing the oldest of the planes.
Included in the report is the number of C-130s each base will possess through fiscal 2020.
If the plan moves forward, the 19th Airlift Wing would receive its 29th C-130J in fiscal 2019; the 314th Airlift Wing would get two more C-130Js in fiscal 2016, bringing its total to 14; and the 189th Airlift Wing would gain two more C-130Hs in fiscal 2016, bringing its total to 14.
However, the Defense Department seeks to do away with the expected relocation of 10 C-130Js from Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., to Little Rock Air Force Base after facing pressure from Mississippi's congressional delegation.
The 10 C-130Js would have gone to the 913th Airlift Group, which was established on base last summer and is in the process of transitioning into a fully operational, combat-ready unit. The group currently does not have any C-130Js of its own but shares aircraft with the 19th Airlift Wing, Bennett said Thursday.
U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., is asking the Air Force to explain its decision to leave the C-130s at Keesler. Hill added an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would require the Air Force to examine the short- and long-term costs of keeping the planes where they are. The National Defense Authorization Act is currently being reviewed by a congressional conference committee.
Metro on 07/10/2015