Upgrades to C-130 airframes and avionics will keep the 1950s-era military aircraft flying many more years
WASHINGTON – Could the U.S. Air Force 1950s-era C-130 utility aircraft fly missions for close to 100 years? If not 100, how about eighty? At least eighty might be realistic given recent upgrades to the existing C-130H planes, now converted into newer C-130Js. Kris Osborn at The National Interest reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
20 Jan. 2021 -- Air Force and Navy bases in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Texas will begin receiving eight C-130Js this year; a fourth Air Force location will receive the aircraft later.
Compared to older C-130 aircraft, the J model climbs faster and higher, flies farther at a higher cruise speed, and takes off and lands in a shorter distance.
The C-130J have a new two-pilot flight station, digital avionics, color multifunction liquid crystal and head-up displays, inertial navigation technology, and GPS. The airframes have reinforced center wingboxes where the wings mount to the fuselage.
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics