From the top: perspectives on the Super Hercules

The arrival of our first J-model C-130 next month is something to celebrate.

The Super Hercules is a terrific  airframe that will increase our tactical airlift capabilities exponentially. When all 14 aircraft have arrived, we’ll be flying farther, faster and carrying more people and equipment with a huge reduction in

maintenance headaches.

Things are literally looking up for the 86th Airlift Wing. At the same time, we’re not just celebrating a new airplane.

Our faithful E-models average 40 years old, and these Vietnam-era airframes have flown in theaters across the globe for decades. As a wing, we have established ourselves as the world’s tactical airlift experts in the E, and we owe homage to these Air Force workhorses and the generations of dedicated maintainers and aircrews that have kept them in the air so long.

If you know someone who works in a C-130 maintenance or flying squadron, or someone who has done so in the last 40 years, take a moment to congratulate them on a job well done. They deserve it.

Their hard work and problem-solving genius have brought us to a great moment in Ramstein history.