CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The 130th Airlift Wing of the West Virginia Air National Guard received its eighth and final C-130 J-30 model Super Hercules aircraft on Thursday, completing the conversion from an older model.
A ceremony was held Thursday at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base in Charleston, in which the Air National Guard and flight crew accepted the plane.
Col. Bryan Preece, the wing commander of the 130th Airlift Wing, said getting the plane is a significant development in modernizing the unit.
“The Air Force is divesting or getting rid of the H model aircraft,” he said. “When we were flying the H, we were at risk of losing our aircraft and effectively being shut down as a wing. Due to being chosen for J models, we have a secure future for the Air National Guard here in Charleston.”
The West Virginia Air National Guard can use the planes for delivering cargo and people across the state.
“We can deliver it via air-land, which is simply landing and unloading and offloading people and cargo, or we can airdrop it, which means literally flying over a target or drop zone, releasing cargo or people with parachutes, and delivering them that way,” Preece said.
Preece noted some work is underway to ensure the plane can be used at the base, including making the plane combat-ready and expanding the ramp for take-offs and landings.