's that time again before you know it....

Wreaths Across America

 

WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA

It's that times again participating in a

program on Saturday, December 14th , that will lay a wreath on

deceased Veterans graves at Arlington National Cemetery and

2,100 other locations across the nation. You can 

 sponsor a wreath for $17.00

by donating online at

wreathsacrossamerica.org/MO0166P. 

The cutoff date for sponsoring a wreath is November 30TH, Online. 

 

Thank you for honoring and remembering our nation's veterans this Christmas.

Locally 

Wreaths will placed on Veterans Gravestones at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Leonard Wood on December 14th at 12:00 PM, a ceremony and placement of Wreaths Follows.

FWA october Board meeting Rescheduled

 

Lockheed Martin Marks 70 Years of C-130 Aircraft in Flight

U.S. Air Force airmen assigned to the 823rd Base Defense Squadron, Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, stand guard while a C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 317th Airlift Wing, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, taxis during Mosaic Tiger 22-1 at Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida, Nov. 16, 2021. (Airman 1st Class Courtney Sebastianelli/U.S. Air Force photo)

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | By Kelly Yamanouchi

Published August 22, 2024 at 4:30 pm

Inside the cavernous Lockheed Martin aircraft manufacturing plant at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, employees Thursday celebrated nearly 70 years of flight for the C-130 tactical airlifter -- built in Marietta as the longest-running military aircraft production line in history.

Since the first flight on Aug. 23, 1954, of the large turboprop plane now known as the Hercules, it has been used to drop bombs, spy on targets and attack them with cannons, according to Lockheed Martin. It has also been used for humanitarian missions around the world.

Its cargo hold is fully pressurized and can be reconfigured to carry troops, passengers, equipment or stretchers. Its longevity is due to its versatility for a variety of missions.

Rod McLean, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager of the Marietta site, said the anniversary "just signifies how Lockheed Martin is one of the key cornerstones of Cobb County and the metro Atlanta region's economy."

In Cobb County, there are daily flights overhead of C-130s used for training by air reserve crews at Dobbins, or for test flights of new C-130Js just built.

During an all-employee event Thursday for the anniversary, Lockheed Martin also honored four employees who have worked there for at least 60 years.

C-130 history

The birth of the C-130 stretches back to the United States' entry into the Korean War. The U.S. Air Force commissioned what was then Lockheed Aircraft Corp. to build a military cargo transport that could airlift combat troops and deliver them to small airfields.

After successful prototypes were built in Burbank, California, Lockheed moved the C-130 program to its facility in Marietta, then known as Lockheed-Georgia Company.

Since then, more than 2,700 C-130s have been ordered or delivered to more than 60 nations. The version currently manufactured in Marietta is the C-130J Super Hercules.

C-130s have been used for airdrops, deliveries, medical transport or other passenger transport during humanitarian crises, including in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. In January, the Georgia Air National Guard received its first of eight C-130J-30 Super Hercules tactical airlifters, though the Savannah-based 165th Airlift Wing has operated several other variants of the Hercules over the years.

C-130s have also been used to fight fires and are deployed by the Air Force Reserve Command's Hurricane Hunters weather reconnaissance squadron, which flies into the eyes of hurricanes to measure wind speed and barometric pressure and improve accuracy of National Hurricane Center forecasts.

There have also been some tragedies. Among them, in 2018, a C-130 crashed onto Ga. 21 shortly after takeoff from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Nine airmen in the Puerto Rico National Guard were killed.

The future for Hercules

It's yet to be seen what the ultimate life span of C-130 production will be. The volume of C-130Js built in Marietta has declined to about 20 a year from 34 back in 2012. The peak year for C-130 deliveries was early on in the production line, in 1957, when 140 were delivered in one year.

"I would have told you in 2010 that we wouldn't be producing C-130Js in 2020," said Lockheed Martin Aeronautics President Greg Ulmer. "We're going to be producing C-130Js in 2035 and beyond."

That forecast is based on a combination of firm orders for production into the 2030s and expectations to sell more C-130s, according to McLean.

The International Association of Machinists union, which represents workers at the Marietta plant, said it has been "actively working on Capitol Hill to maintain the current production levels" of the C-130J. The union and members of Congress in May pushed for funding for the C-130J program in the federal government's fiscal year 2025 budget, and warned there could be negative consequences of a drop in production.

"IAM Local 709 members in Marietta have consistently produced superior aircraft," said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Craig Martin in a written statement. "These jobs are crucial not only for this community but also for supporting jobs across Georgia and the nation. We are proud of our members' work and look forward to celebrating future milestones."

A Timeline of the C-130

• Aug. 23, 1954: First flight of YC-130 prototype at Burbank, California
• 1955: The first production C-130 is flown at the Lockheed-Georgia facility in Marietta
• 1956: The C-130A, the first production model of the C-130, enters service
• 1957: A record 140 C-130s are delivered in a single year
• 1961: Lockheed becomes an integrated assembly line and is a pilot plant in the South to then-President John F. Kennedy's equal opportunity policy
• 1994: C-130J Super Hercules production begins in Marietta
• 1998: C-130J enters service
• 2012: Peak production of the C-130J with 34 aircraft produced in a single year
• 2015: The 2500th Hercules is delivered to Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta
• 2024: Lockheed Martin celebrates 70 years since the first flight of the C-130

Awsome C-130 Tail Art

Honor Flights from West Coast of Florida

Several Honor Flights have been scheduled for this year: Mission 51 Tuesday September 10 and Mission 52 Tuesday October 22. These are all day up and back trips to visit all the Military Monuments in Washington DC. It is completely free and worth the effort. These are leaving from the west coast of Florida but there are many others. Call (727) 498-6079 for more information. July 4^th is an interesting holiday. We celebrate our independence that day but it wasn’t until 5 bloody years later when Cornwallis surrendered to Washington at Yorktown that they deal was done. God bless all our troops on both sides.

K-46A , 45 hour nonstop

45-hour nonstop KC-46A flight sets standard for Air Force ops

Refuelling support was pre-positioned at various global locations, including Andersen Air Force Base in Guam and RAF Mildenhall in England.

Harry McNeilJuly 2, 2024

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On July 1, 2024, a McConnell Air Force Base KC-135R Stratotanker from the 350th Air Refueling Squadron refuelled 

a McConnel KC-46A Pegasus over the United Kingdom. This aerial refuelling took place as part of the 45-hour 

Maximum Endurance Operation, known as Project Magellan. Source: Defense Visual Information Distribution Service

The 22nd Air Refueling Wing’s KC-46A Pegasus completed a record-setting nonstop flight worldwide.

In a mission known as Project Magellan, the KC-46A Pegasus successfully executed the first nonstop westbound circumnavigation flight, showcasing its capabilities.

The 45-hour mission, which lasted from June 29 to July 1, marked a milestone for the KC-46A Pegasus, Air Mobility Command’s newest tanker aircraft. It demonstrated its endurance and operational reach, and this latest Maximum Endurance Operation (MEO) tested the aircraft’s limits.

The previous record was set by the US Pease Air National Guard’s 157th Air Refueling Wing, which completed a 36-hour endurance mission, the longest for the US Air Mobility Command (AMC).

KC-46A strategic significance

The KC-46A Pegasus proven ability to overcome vast distances is key in the era of great power competition. Capt. Cody Donahue, who played a key role in planning the mission, emphasised the broader implications: “With a 48-hour duty day, you can literally fly across the world.”

See Also:

• Russia targets F-16 arrivals in Ukrainian air base attacks 

The mission involved complex coordination. McConnell Air Force Base demonstrated its refuelling capabilities by supporting various aircraft, including B-2 Spirit bombers and F-15E Strike Eagles, throughout the flight. This proved the tanker’s capacity to refuel multiple aircraft types and its role in ensuring continuous global reach.

Happy 4th of July

 Happy 4th of July to all our viewers...