352nd SOG welcomes MC-130J

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Stacia Zachary
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
The 67th Special Operations Squadron welcomed its first MC-130J Commando II to its new home at RAF Mildenhall June 7, 2013.

Nine additional MC-130Js are scheduled to arrive at the 67th SOS in the next two years, with 12 total scheduled to be in place in the distant future.

This MC-130J left the Lockheed Martin factory in February and was initially stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. When it arrived at RAF Mildenhall, it had about 100 hours on it, said Lt. Col. John Peak, 67th SOS director of operations.

"The MC-130J is a leap forward in technology," said Peak. "It brings the capability to go further at a quicker pace. It climbs higher faster, consumes less fuel, and can take off with a heavier gross weight. We can deliver assets to the fight faster."

Peak has flown MC-130P Combat Shadows, which were built in the 1960s, for most of his career. He said the new MC-130J was very similar, but had a different sound and was more responsive.

The MC-130J is the newest variant of the C-130J Super Hercules four-engine turboprop aircraft. The C-130 has been continuously produced longer than any military aircraft in history and has been a central element of the U.S. Air Force and allied air forces for more than five decades.

When the Air Force introduced the newest variant of the C-130 airframe, the J-model, it effectively introduced a version with more power and efficiency, longer range, shorter takeoff distance, a smaller required crew and a modern computerized flight deck, according to Air Force fact sheets.

In addition to the latest MC-130J, the 352nd SOG is expecting delivery of its first two CV-22 Osprey aircraft in June.