Older H Models Being Rotated Out Of Service

The Department of the Air Force announced the selection of the Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Airlift Wing based at Cheyenne Regional Airport (KCYS) in Cheyenne to be the next unit to be equipped with Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules medium airlifters.

The aging H model aircraft will be rotated out of service through fleet management and will be replaced by C-130Hs from units currently undergoing conversion. As the J models are delivered, those H models will also be retired or relocated. A total of eight C-130J aircraft will be coming to the 153rd.

The C-130J is the newer, better-equipped aircraft compared to the C-130H. Looking at the exterior it’s hard to tell the difference unless the aircraft is on the ground with props not rotating. There, it’s easy to spot that the H model has 4-blade props connected to Allison T56-A-15 engines providing 4,591 SHP, while on the J, the 6-blade props are attached to Rolls-Royce AE2100D3 engines. The newer combo produces a significant increase in performance including a top speed of 417 mph compared to 366 mph on the older H models.

The max allowable payload is 2,000 pounds higher on the J model, translating into increasing the payload by 2 pallets of cargo, 36 combat troops or 28 paratroopers. The crew is smaller on the J through eliminating the navigator and engineer, and requiring just the two pilots and a loadmaster.

The difference in price tags? $30.1 million for the H and $48.5 million for the C-130J.

The upgrade in aircraft also comes with a requirement for new qualifications for both pilots and loadmasters. The excess of 19 positions due to the crew reductions will result in those personnel being repurposed through the Air National Guard corporate process. The first of the C-130J aircraft are due to arrive in early 2028.

FMI:  www.af.mil/