The 58th Special Operations Wing is now home to both the first and the final MC-130Js.
On Jan. 14, 2025, the United States Air Force Special Operations Command’s 58th Special Operations Wing welcomed Lockheed Martin’s final production MC-130J Commando II into the fold. The aircraft, tail number 22-5994, is the last in a 14-year production and was accepted by the service in December 2024, according to Aviation Week.
In the official press release, the U.S. Air Force explained that, after a new aircraft delivery, the base’s 415th Aircraft Maintenance Unit spends around two weeks inspecting the aircraft and generating maintenance forms. The base also said that, on average, a 58th Special Operations Wing MC-130J will accumulate 200 flight hours yearly during training operations. “Every training flight requires at least 40 man-hours from maintenance to ensure the aircraft is safe and effective. says MSgt Brent Ogle, the 415th AMU production superintendent.
The aircraft, after assembly at U.S. Air Force Plant 6 at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, are then sent to the Rapid Development Integration Facility at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, for final mission configuration into MC-130J specs.
According to the U.S. Air Force’s fact sheet on the type, the USAF now operates 57 of the type, though they say that all 57 are active duty and make no mention of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard’s 193rd Special Operations Wing, the only Air National Guard unit to operate the Commando II. The 193rd took on the MC-130J mission after retiring their final EC-130J Commando Solo III aircraft last year.
However, the number in the factsheet does not reflect the total MC-130Js delivered, as tail 22-5994 was the 64th to be delivered, while 57 aircraft in the fleet were reported in late 2023/early 2024. That aircraft was also the 134th special mission C-130J, counting all the MC-130Js, AC-130Js and HC-130Js.
The MC-130J Commando II flew for the first time in 2011 and has steadily replaced the MC-130H, MC-130E, MC-130P, and supplemented missions for other airframes across its already full history. It was the first C-130 variant built specifically for special operations service. The “MCJ” is capable of both receiving and tanking (with drogues) in air-to-air refueling operations and is also used for “infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of special operations forces by airdrop or airland”. Up until fairly recently, the Air Force was even thinking of converting MC-130s to amphibious aircraft.
With deliveries now complete, the Air Force and USSOCOM are working on upgrades for the MC-130J, including the integration of the Raytheon AN/APQ-187 Silent Knight terrain-following/terrain-avoidance radar, new communication systems, an airborne mission network and radio frequency countermeasure improvements. These upgrades will greatly improve the capabilities of the Commando II.
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The special operations aircraft have taken part in several major engagements for the U.S. military, including against the Islamic State in the Middle East and in a deterrence role against China in the Pacific Ocean. The Commando II has become the backbone of AFSOC’s airlift mission and has carved out its place in the rich history of the C-130.
According to the U.S. Air Force, the MC-130J also features “advanced flight station, fully integrated digital avionics and navigation, auxiliary flight deck stations, and turboprop engines (four Rolls-Royce AE 2100D3’s) with six-bladed, all-composite propellers”.
The 415th Special Operations Squadron, the receiving unit, now operates eight of the type alongside their HC-130J Combat King II’s. Notably, the squadron also received the very first production MC-130J in 2011. The squadron serves as the U.S. Air Force’s special operations C-130 schoolhouse.
Kirtland AFB, located just outside Albuquerque, New Mexico, is home to a good bit of both operational and training squadrons. The various squadrons operate the MC-130J Commando II, HC-130J Combat King II, HH-60G Pave Hawk, HH-60W Jolly Green II, UH-1N Twin Huey, and CV-22B Osprey. The base is also home to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, the Air Force Safety Center, the Pararescue and Combat Rescue Officer Training School, and a whole bunch of other entities from the Air Force, Army, Space Force, Missile Defense Agency, and Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
U.S. Air Force Plant 6
Situated on the grounds of Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia, is Air Force Plant 6, where aerospace giant Lockheed Martin operates their C-130 production line. Lockheed Martin also historically produced B-47 Stratojets (under license from Boeing), C-141 Starlifters, C-5 Galaxies, and F-22 Raptors at the facility. Before Plant 6 was operated by Lockheed Martin the factory was operated by Bell Aircraft, producing B-29 Superfortress bombers under contract during the Second World War.
Across the airfield is the 94th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve, operating the C-130H Hercules, as well as the headquarters of the Twenty-Second Air Force and the Georgia National Guard, which flies UH-60 Black Hawks and UH-72 Lakotas.
