Air Guard Commander applauds future delivery of new C-130J cargo planes
The Commander of the Montana Air National Guard spent the day at Gore Field Thursday, thanking the men and women of the 120th Airlift Wing for their hard work and dedication and pausing to bask in the glow of the Air Force’s announcement that eight brand new Super Hercules cargo planes are destined for Great Falls.
“This is the first time in history that we’re going to have a fleet of brand new airplanes in the Montana Air National Guard and that’s pretty nice,” said Brigadier General Buel Dickson from one of the hangers at the MANG’ s airbase at Great Falls. “So we’ll have that new car smell and the pride to go along with it.”
On Wednesday, the Air Force announced that the 120th Airlift Wing in Great Falls was one of four Air National Guard units in the country selected to receive eight new generation C-130J cargo planes. The decision was critical to the Montana Air National Guard’s future, both to replace an aging fleet of C-130H aircraft the airbase currently has, and to ensure the 120th Airlift Wing’s mission in Great Falls will continue for decades to come.
“This will integrate us better with the Air Force when we deploy, and this will give us more capability throughout the state to be there for natural disasters, and to evacuate people or haul equipment,” Dickson explained. “The J model will add 15 years plus for us for longevity in the wing. That will really help our airman settle in, learn their new jobs, and understand how this works.”
The H model C-130s MANG currently deploys were originally developed in the 1950s and are slowly being phased out across the United States. Montana was one of eight states that had requested the new generation C-130 Super Hercules cargo planes, and one of four to be given a nod from the Air Force for their future delivery.
Dickson said the quality of the MANG’s facilities, the Demonstrated expertise of its maintenance personnel, the success of the base’s recruitment program, and “family readiness” throughout the entire 120th Airlift Wing were all factors in Air Force’s decision.
“We are a busy organization up here at the Montana Air National Guard,” said Dickson. “The Montana work ethic shown through. I think they saw that when they selected us to this position.”
The three additional air wings to be selected to receive the new C-130Js are the 103rd Airlift Wing in Hartford, Connecticut the 133rd Airlift Wing in Minneapolis, and the 182 Airlift Wing in Peoria, Illinois.
The eight C-130Js destined for Great Falls are expected to arrive sometime between 2026 and late September 2028. The very newness of these aircraft means that additional training will be required before they become fully operational here in Great Falls.
“This is a big conversion for us with all the avionics, different engines, and different things we’ve got to do,” Dickson said. “It’s a whole different weapons system. It looks the same, sounds the same, but everything you do inside the cockpit is a little bit different, so it will take a little time to get us there.”
He said it may take until 2029 before the Super Hercules cargo planes in Great Falls are fully operational. Dickson said he hopes to see 120th Airlift Wing pilots begin advance training at Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas before the C-130Js are delivered to the Montana Air National Guard.
Dickson also offered deep praise to all the people who have supported the MANG’s mission in Great Falls leading up to the Air Force announcement.
“I cannot say enough about how the community has come together and how the Air National Guard has come together,” the General said. “Everybody made this happen, all the way down to the communities support in downtown Great Falls. I couldn’t ask for a better position to be in.”
This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Montana and Air National Guard to receive eight cutting edge C-130Js
