Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall has approved the Arkansas Air National Guard's 189th Airlift Wing as the location for the Guard's C-130J formal training program.
Four C-130J Super Hercules aircraft will be stationed with the 189th at Little Rock Air Force Base in Jacksonville, according to a news release Thursday from the Arkansas National Guard.
"This announcement is huge for the 189th Airlift Wing," said Maj. Gen. Kendall Penn, Arkansas' adjutant general. "This allows the wing to divest four of its C-130H cargo aircraft that will be recapitalized into the Air Force's inventory and will relocate four existing C-130J aircraft from the Air Force's inventory to Little Rock Air Force Base. This recognition by the Air Force of the quality of Airmen in the Arkansas National Guard should cement the 189th Airlift Wing's future for the foreseeable future."
In May 2021, the acting secretary of the Air Force approved Little Rock Air Force Base as the candidate base.
Four C-130Js will replace aging C-130Hs to establish the formal training program, which will ensure aircrews gain the experience and knowledge needed to operate the newer aircraft, according to a news release from the Air Force.
The decision was made as other Air National Guard units are losing their flying missions, U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said last year when the 189th was named as the candidate base.
Lt. Col. W. B. Phillips II, state public affairs officer for the Arkansas National Guard, said the 189th will be the sole location in the United States for the Air National Guard's C-130J training.
"It's an investment in the future of the wing, as long as they have that full-time training mission there," Phillips said.
He said the 189th Wing currently has 12 C-130H aircraft, but no C-130Js. A timeline for the arrival of the C-130J aircraft has yet to be determined.
"This is great news to see the Arkansas Air Guard selected for future C-130J formal training," Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. "The airlift culture runs deep in the 189th Airlift Wing, and the unit is well positioned to train future generations of combat units here at Little Rock Air Force Base. I applaud the work of our congressional delegation and the state's military affairs committee in supporting this victory for Arkansas and our national security."
Besides the 189th Airlift Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard, also stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base are the active duty 19th Airlift Wing and the Reserve's 314th Airlift Wing.
"The 19th Airlift Wing (Air Mobility Command) is the host wing and provides the Department of Defense mission ready Airmen and supports the largest C-130 fleet in the world," according to https://www.littlerock.af.mil/Team-Little-Rock/19th-Airlift-Wing.
A squadron of the 314th was activated in December 2003 as a C-130J training unit, according to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas. The first active duty C-130J aircraft arrived at the Air Force Base on March 19, 2004.
The Air Force issued its original design specification for the C-130 in 1951, and updated versions of the aircraft are still in production today.
The 189th has been training people on C-130s since 1986 -- first on the C-130Es (which date from 1962) then on the C-130Hs (which began production in 1974).
Production of C-130Js began in 1999.
"The aircraft is capable of operating from rough, dirt strips and is the prime transport for airdropping troops and equipment into hostile areas," according to the Air Force. "Using its aft loading ramp and door, the C-130 can accommodate a wide variety of oversized cargo, including everything from utility helicopters and six-wheeled armored vehicles to standard palletized cargo and military personnel."
In a video that accompanied the news release, Col. Dean Martin, 189th Airlift Wing commander, said the C-130J can fly higher, faster, carry more cargo and is more fuel efficient than its older C-130H counterpart.
The Super Hercules can also climb faster and higher, and take off and land in a shorter distance, according to the Air Force.
Martin said the 189th has a strong history of excellence in safely training C-130 aircrews.
"This allows the 189th to continue its strong legacy of training combat airlifters for the Total Force and for Allied partners," Martin said. "We've been training C-130 aircrews since 1986, both the E and the H model, and this allows us to move into the J model as more and more of our Air National Guard and Reserve units recapitalize into the J model."
Total Force Integration, which was launched in the late 1990s, refers to a blending of active, Guard and Reserve personnel and equipment to gain efficiency and effectiveness in support of the overall Air Force mission, according to Air Force Magazine.
Phillips said the 314th Airlift Wing already had some C-130J aircraft. The 314th also has a training mission.
Martin said the 189th has a well-established partnership with the 314th to train combat airlifters for the Total Force and our Allied partners.
Phillips said the designation of the 189th as a formal training unit probably won't increase the number of instructors or trainees on site. When asked what sort of investment the Air Force was making in the 189th with the new designation and C-130Js, he said it would be in the upper nine-figure range.
Phillips said people who live near the airport won't notice any increased noise or "difference in the operational tempo."
Jacksonville Mayor Bob Johnson said it might not mean more active-duty people on the Air Force base, but he suspects more people passing through for training.
"We're excited because it means there will be more people vising here, staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants, buying groceries, visiting our parks," he said. "This is good news."
Johnson said it's not unusual to go out to dinner at a restaurant in Jacksonville and see people from other countries.
"We train a lot of foreign pilots here," he said.
Besides pilots, other crew members such as mechanics and load masters also train at the Little Rock Air Force Base, Johnson said.
The Air National Guard's federal mission is to maintain well-trained, well-equipped units available for prompt mobilization during war and provide assistance during national emergencies (such as natural disasters or civil disturbances), according to https://www.ang.af.mil/About-Us.
"During peacetime, the combat-ready units and support units are assigned to most Air Force major commands to carry out missions compatible with training, mobilization readiness, humanitarian and contingency operations such as Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan," according to the website. "The Air National Guard provides almost half of the Air Force's tactical airlift support, combat communications functions, aeromedical evacuations and aerial refueling. In addition, the Air National Guard has total responsibility for air defense of the entire United States."
When Air National Guard units aren't mobilized or under federal control, they report to the governor of their respective state, territory (Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands) or the commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. Each of the 54 National Guard organizations is supervised by the adjutant general of the state or territory.