Some special training wrapped up on Friday, May 10, 2024, for the 120th Airlift Wing at the Montana Air National Guard.
Airmen from Texas and West Virginia brought their aircraft and maintenance personnel to the Montana Air National Guard base for what is known as "maintenance university."
The airmen shared their experience maintaining and operating the C-130J airframe.
That's the same aircraft the Montana Air National Guard is slated to begin receiving.
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The 120th will receive eight of the new models as a one-for-one replacement of existing C-130Hs.
The C-130J improves on the C-130H with additional payload capacity, more efficient engines, and improved performance, according to military officials.
The new planes will help to “reduce manpower requirements, lower operating and support costs, and provide life-cycle cost saving over earlier C-130 models,” according to a news release from the 120th Airlift Wing.
The new aircraft will require pilots to undergo re-training due to new engines and avionic capabilities. New maintenance training will also be conducted.
The planes are scheduled to arrive in Montana in 2026.
In addition to the Montana unit, the following will also receive the new planes: 103rd Airlift Wing in Hartford, Connecticut; 133rd Airlift Wing in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria, Illinois.
