APRIL 21, 2025 – The Department of the Air Force selected Wyoming Air National Guard Base in Cheyenne as the next location to host C-130Js.
A total of eight C-130J aircraft will be used to recapitalize the aging C-130H fleet, where older C-130H models will be fleet managed out of service and replaced by C-130H models from converting units.
This significant series upgrade will require new flight qualification for pilots and loadmasters transitioning airframes, while removing the navigators and flight engineers from the aircrew.
An excess of 19 manpower positions due to this shift will be repurposed through the Air National Guard corporate process.
The first aircraft are scheduled to arrive in early 2028.
The C-130J Super Hercules is an upgraded version of the C-130 Hercules, offering improved performance, increased cargo capacity, and enhanced capabilities. Key improvements include a stretched fuselage, more efficient engines, modern avionics, and digital mission computers. These upgrades result in faster climb, higher altitude, greater range, and shorter takeoff and landing distances compared to older models.
By Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs