YARS to welcome its first C-130J aircraft on Tuesday

Submitted photo / David L. Key A C-130J Super Hercules aircraft takes off for its maiden flight Feb. 26 from the runway adjacent to Lockheed Martin’s C-130J production plant in Marietta, Georgia. The aircraft is one of a new fleet scheduled to arrive at Youngstown Air Reserve Station as the 910th Airlift Wing prepares to convert from C-130H Hercules aircraft.
VIENNA — The Youngstown Air Reserve Station will welcome its first C-130J Super Hercules aircraft Tuesday.
It is the first of eight new C-130J aircraft to arrive with a second plane expected a few months later.
The remaining six will arrive in 2025.
The planes will replace C-130H models at YARS, the home of the 910th Airlift Wing, that were built between 1989 and 1992.
The new planes cost about $109.75 million each for a total investment of $878 million.
Col. Mike Maloney, 910th commander, said the airlift wing’s “tactical airlift and aerial spray missions require a capable, reliable and adaptable airframe. Our C-130H Hercules aircraft have provided that for decades. As we retire them from service at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, we look forward to continuing their track record of success with a fleet of new C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.”
A ceremony welcoming the first C-130J will be Tuesday with Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Melissa Coburn along with officials from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., the 910th, and local, state and federal partners will attend.
The event will kick off with a flyover from the new C-130J, concluding its maiden voyage from Lockheed Martin’s production plant in Marietta, Georgia.
The C-130J reduces manpower requirements, lowers operating and support costs, and provides life-cycle cost savings over earlier C-130 models, according to YARS. It is also capable of climbing faster and higher, flying farther at a higher cruise speed and taking off and landing in a shorter distance, according to YARS.
YARS has about 2,000 employees, most of them reservists and active duty and an annual economic impact of about $150 million.
The base is home to the U.S. Department of Defense’s only large-area fixed-wing aerial spray unit. It controls disease-carrying insects, pest insects and undesirable vegetation as well as dispersing oil spills in large bodies of water.
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