The 86th Airlift Wing of Ramstein AB, Germany retired one of its C-130 Hercules yesterday, reports Stars & Stripes, because the “E” model is out of date. The cargo plane, nicknamed the “Ace of Spades,” began its service life on June 5, 1964. Its new home will be the boneyard, the familiar sobriquet for the Aerospace Maintenance and Recovery Center at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., where it will be stripped of any parts that might be useable for current models.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.