The Delaware Air National Guard’s (DANG) 166th Airlift Wing is scheduled to receive the first of eight upgraded C-130 Hercules model H2.5s, scheduled to land at the Delaware Air National Guard Base on Friday.
These updated aircraft will replace the DANG’s entire fleet of 1984 C-130H model aircraft the unit has been flying since 1985.
The updated C-130s will sustain the DANG’s flying mission by providing newer airframes, as these were manufactured in 1991, but they also have key upgrades in brand new 3.5 engines and upgraded avionics for the entire fleet.
The upgraded C-130 aircraft were previously flown by the Kentucky Air National Guard’s 123rd Airlift Wing. The 123rd began receiving the newest C-130J Hercules, the most current model of the venerable airframe, earlier this year. The new planes will replace the eight C-130H aircraft that Delaware will receive beginning tomorrow. The remaining planes are scheduled to be delivered over the coming months.
Air Guard units in Texas, West Virginia, and Georgia have also been selected to receive the newer C-130Js.