Lockheed Martin recently delivered two new-build Air Force C-130J variants in addition to a single HC-130J for the US Coast Guard, the company announced. An Air Force Special Operations Command crew ferried an MC-130J Commando II from the company’s Marietta, Ga., facility to the 353rd Special Operations Group at Kadena AB, Japan, March 19. The Kadena unit began transitioning from the legacy MC-130P Combat Shadow as part of AFSOC’s overall C-130 recap with the arrival of its first MC-130J last December. The second aircraft—an HC-130J Combat King II rescue tanker—made the short hop to the 347th Rescue Group at Moody AFB, Ga., March 24, according to the company. The Coast Guard HC-130J was transferred from Marietta to the company’s conversion facility at Greenville, S.C., for mission specific equipment, modifications, and paint before final delivery to the USCG next year.
A Defense Department team is on the ground in Ukraine assessing what the country needs to protect itself from air, naval, electronic, and cyber warfare threats as Russian troops gather on multiple fronts, a senior Ukrainian defense official told Air Force Magazine, describing an emphasis on what assistance can be…