Keeping the U.S. Air Force’s C-130s Flying
The U.S. Air Force is progressing with a massive technological overhaul of its warzone-tested C-130 aircraft, giving the aircraft new radios, digital avionics, collision avoidance technology and reinforced “wing-boxes,” service officials said. “The thing that causes the greatest risk to the airplane is the life of the wing. We... Read more
Special U.S. Air Force Squadron Snatched Spy Film Capsules From Mid-Air
On Aug. 11, 1984, a special U.S. Air Force squadron flew its last mission in heavily-modified C-130 transports, snatching a spy-satellite film capsule dangling from a parachute as it descended from Earth’s orbit. It was all part of the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office’s Falling Star initiative, supporting the Discoverer/Corona satellite... Read more