The West Virginia Air National Guard’s 130th Airlift Wing has delivered one of its C-130 transports to the Boeing facility in San Antonio, where it will be the third Hercules to undergo avionics modernization program upgrades. Boeing VP Mike Harris said in a statement, “We have learned a lot from working on the first two AMP aircraft, and we are ready to apply those experiences as we start work on H3.” Earlier this year, the Pentagon recertified the C-130 AMP effort after it exceeded cost estimates, breaching the Nunn-McCurdy rule, but the Air Force cut the number to be modified by 80 aircraft.
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.