The milestone aircraft, a KC-130J Super Hercules tanker, will be operated by the USMC Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252, which is based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. 

“The Lockheed Martin team is honored to deliver this milestone Super Hercules to the U.S. Marine Corps, where it will be part of the largest KC-130J fleet in the world and provide true force amplification across the globe,” said Rod McLean, Vice President and General Manager of Lockheed Martin’s Air Mobility & Maritime Missions line of business. “Not only does this Hercules represent the 2,700th C-130 delivered, but it also reflects the inherent mission and performance adaptability that fuels the C-130’s ongoing relevance.” 

The KC-130J variant is a tactical tanker that can refuel both rotary and fixed-wing aircraft. Its design allows it to fly at low speeds and altitudes, ideal for helicopter refueling. 

The C-130 Hercules, the workhorse of tactical transport听

Developed by Lockheed Martin, the C-130 Hercules is designed to perform a wide range of operations, including troop transport, cargo airlift, medical evacuation, and aerial refueling.  

68 years after its introduction, the C-130 remains a versatile and reliable aircraft used by military forces in more than 70 countries. Its capacity to land on unprepared runways and operate in challenging environments makes it essential for various military and humanitarian missions worldwide.  

The current production model, the C-130J Super Hercules, features advanced avionics, enhanced flight performance, and increased payload capacity. The global C-130J fleet consists of 26 operators from 22 nations, with a combined total of over three million flight hours. 

In March 2024, the US Air Force decided not to equip the AC-130J Ghostrider, a gunship variant of the Hercules, with a high-energy laser weapon due to technical challenges. 

USAF cancels plan for high-energy laser weapon on AC-130J gunship

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2024-03-20

Each military unit will resume Osprey operations based on mission requirements and safety measures. The restoration process will involve staged maintenance, training, and proficiency assessments. 

鈥淕oing forward, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Ospreys and the US military’s Ospreys in Japan plan to restore their mission capabilities in stages,鈥� the Japanese Ministry of Defense said in a statement on March 13, 2024. 鈥淪pecifically, we will first carry out maintenance and training as indicated as safety measures to prevent a recurrence of the recent accident.鈥� 

Flights will then be gradually reintroduced under the unit commanders’ discretion, the ministry explained, with priority given to aircraft that have completed necessary preparations including maintenance. 

On March 14, 2024, the USMC 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, based at Futenma Air Station on Okinawa Island, announced the return of its MV-22s to flight status.  

鈥淲e will thoughtfully regain currency of our pilots and aircrew as we return to MV-22 flight operations,鈥� stated Major General Eric Austin, commander of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. 鈥淭he MV-22 Osprey is key to the success of 1st MAW, III MEF and plays a central role in our ability to campaign, to respond in time of crisis and ultimately to partner with our allies and maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific.鈥� 

End of a three-month grounding 

The entire tiltrotor aircraft fleet has been grounded since early December 2023 following two fatal crashes. The first crash took place on August 27, 2023, during a military exercise in Northern Australia, causing the death of three US Marine Corps service members. The second incident happened on November 29, 2023, off the coast of Yakushima Island in southwestern Japan, leading to the loss of eight US Marines. 

Initial investigations into the latest crash in Japan indicated that a component of the V-22 aircraft had failed, resulting in the grounding of the US Air Force Special Operations Command, the US Navy, and the US Marine Corps on December 6, 2023.  

On March 8, 2024, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) announced that the V-22 Osprey精东影业 grounding was lifted following a comprehensive review of the mishap and the implementation of risk mitigation measures. 

US military lifts grounding of V-22 Osprey fleet

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2024-03-08

The CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter, registered number AE4B95, was assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 361, part of Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. 

It was reported overdue during a flight from Creech Air Force Base to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on February 6, 2024. The crashed aircraft was later located in Pine Valley, California, on February 7, 2024, by civil authorities. 

The 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing led the search and rescue efforts with the help of federal, state, and local agencies. Ground and air assets were deployed to aid in the search operation.听听

“To the families of our fallen Marines, we send our deepest condolences and commit to ensuring your support and care during this incredibly difficult time,鈥� said Major General Michael J. Borgschulte, 3rd MAW Commanding General.

The CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy-lift cargo helicopter mainly used by the USMC. It is one of the largest and most powerful helicopters in the US military and can carry up to 16 tons of cargo or up to 55 fully-equipped Marines.

The CH-53E has been in service since the early 1980s and has been used extensively in various missions, including troop transport, logistics support, and humanitarian aid missions. 

Preliminary findings from the investigation suggest a potential material failure as the cause of the mishap, the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) said in a statement issued on December 6, 2023, in which it announced the grounding of the USAF CV-22 fleet. 

A similar decision was announced hours later by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), directing a standdown of the CMV-22B and the MV-22B fleets operated by the US Navy and the US Marine Corps.  

The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF), which also operates a small number of MV-22 aircraft, grounded its fleet a day after the crash, marking the second time this year that Japan proactively suspended Osprey flights.听

Boeing pays $8.1 million to settle claims of Osprey manufacturing issues

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2023-09-29

What happened? 

On November 29, 2023, a CV-22 Osprey, which belonged to Yokota Air Base, a joint facility shared by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and the United States Air Force, was initially en route to Kadena Air Base. However, for an unspecified reason, the aircraft altered its course to Yakushima in an attempt to land.  

Ultimately, the Osprey crashed into the sea one kilometer east of Yakushima. An eyewitness told local news that the left engine emitted fire and exploded before the crash.  

The wreckage was later located on the ocean floor. All eight occupants were declared dead by the USAF on December 5, 2023. 

“I am deeply saddened by the loss of eight American troops in a tragic aircraft crash off the coast of Japan,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.听

USAF Osprey crashes off Japan coast, one dead, five missing

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2023-11-29

Repeating safety concerns 

The Boeing Bell V-22 Osprey is a versatile military aircraft combining helicopter and airplane capabilities. The tiltrotor technology employed by the Osprey allows its rotors to tilt vertically for takeoff and landing and horizontally for forward flight. 

The aircraft has been the focus of safety concerns in recent months, with a series of Osprey-related incidents in Japan, namely three unplanned landings within a week in September 2023 and another incident on October 19, 2023.听

Another fatal V-22 Osprey crash occurred during an exercise in Northern Australia on August 27, 2023. The investigation into this accident is still ongoing.  

Japan grounds MV-22 Osprey fleet in response to safety concerns

• Aviation

byClement Charpentreau

2023-07-30

The first Osprey touched down at Tokunoshima Airport in Amagi shortly after 2:20pm local time, according to officials from the Kagoshima Airport Office quoted by the Japanese public broadcaster . The airport office reported that the Osprey pilot called approximately five minutes prior to landing, alerting them to the emergency situation. 

Later in the evening, just before 7pm on the same day, a second USMC Osprey carrying maintenance personnel and other support staff landed at Tokunoshima Airport, which had received two minutes鈥� notice. The personnel had been called to carry out repairs on the stranded first aircraft. 

Local authorities emphasized that these emergency landings did not result in any reported injuries or disruptions to the operations of commercial aircraft at Tokunoshima Airport. Commercial flights continued to operate as scheduled. 

The two tiltrotor aircraft belonged to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing based at Futenma Air Station, located approximately 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Tokunoshima Airport on Okinawa Island. 

These unplanned Osprey landings are only the latest additions to a series of such incidents that Japan has experienced in recent times. Between September 14 and 21, 2023, at least three Ospreys made precautionary landings at Japanese civilian airports. 

In an emailed statement to 精东影业 sent at the time, the USMC 1st Marine Aircraft Wing claimed that the series of mishaps of late September 2023 does not appear to have derived from a hard clutch engagement (HCE), the malfunction responsible for the fatal crash of an MV-22 Osprey at Range-2512 IVO of Holtville, California, on June 8, 2023. 

Series of USMC Osprey unplanned landings in Japan raises questions

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2023-09-22

In the recording sourced by , the local resident can be heard trying to explain to the operator that an ambulance is needed for a pilot who has ejected from a plane.  

Understandably the operator is somewhat confused by the story and replied, 鈥渟orry, what happened?鈥� 

鈥淲e鈥檝e got a pilot in the house, and I guess he landed in my back yard, and we鈥檙e trying to see if we can get an ambulance to the house, please,鈥� the Charleston resident responded.听听

It is unclear what the pilot is saying in the background, or if he is talking to someone else on another phone, during the interaction between the resident and the operator.  

Later in the call, the pilot advises the 911 operator that he ejected from the aircraft at 2,000 feet and that he was unharmed, though his back was hurting.  

Perhaps the most bizarre moment of the phone call was when the F-35 fighter jet pilot explained to the 911 call handler that he did not know where his aircraft was. 

The pilot can be clearly heard saying, 鈥淢a鈥檃m, a military jet crash. I鈥檓 the pilot. We need to get rescue rolling. I am not sure where the plane is. It would have crash landed somewhere. I ejected.鈥� 

Further into the call, the pilot, having explained to the operator that he was 47 years old, asked again for medical help.  

鈥淢a鈥檃m, I鈥檓 a pilot in a military aircraft, and I ejected. So, I just rode a parachute down to the ground. Can you please send an ambulance?鈥� the pilot said. 

News about a missing aircraft hit the headlines after the US Marine Corps pilot had ejected from his F-35 on September 17, 2023.  

The F-35 was reportedly set on autopilot when the pilot ejected, meaning that the stealth fighter continued to fly until it exhausted its fuel supply.  

Consequently, the US military sought public assistance to locate the aircraft.   

Late on September 18, 2023, Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina announced that personnel from the base and from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, in close coordination with local authorities, had successfully located a debris field in Williamsburg County.听

In a statement, the Marine Corps said that the auto pilot mode probably helped prevent a much larger catastrophe and possible loss of life.  

The statement read: 鈥淭he good news is it appeared to work as advertised. The other bit of silver lining in this case is that through the F-35 flying away it avoided crashing into a densely populated area surrounding the airport, and fortunately crashed into an empty field and forested area.鈥� 

Debris of missing F-35 located, US Marine Corps grounds all flights

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2023-09-19

While the reason for the unscheduled landing has not been disclosed, authorities have stated that there were no injuries reported, and there was no disruption of commercial flight operations as a result. 

According to the Kagoshima Prefecture Port and Airport Division, the Osprey touched down at Amami Airport at approximately 3:46 p.m. local time. No prior notification had been submitted, catching both airport personnel and local authorities off guard, as reported by the Japanese public broadcaster .  

No injuries were reported in connection with the unexpected landing, and normal commercial flight operations at Amami Airport resumed promptly. However, the incident has raised concerns among residents, especially as this is by no means the first time an Osprey has made headlines in the region this month. 

Indeed, Japan has witnessed a whole series of Osprey unplanned landings, with a total of three such incidents within a week. On September 14, 2023, two USMC Ospreys made a precautionary landing at Amami Airport and New Ishigaki due to a warning light being displayed during flight. There was a similar occurrence at Oita Airport (OIT) two days later.

精东影业 sent a request for comment to the US Marine Corps.

Is the Osprey still affected by a clutch issue? 

The Osprey, officially known as the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey, is a unique military aircraft that combines the capabilities of a helicopter and an airplane. It features tiltrotor technology, allowing its rotors to tilt vertically for takeoff and landing and horizontally for forward flight. The Osprey performs a wide range of missions, including troop transport, cargo delivery, search and rescue, and special operations. In addition to various branches of the US military, the Osprey is also utilized by Japan精东影业 Ground Self-Defense Force. 

The latest incident adds to existing concerns about the safety of Osprey aircraft, particularly given the recent history of mechanical issues.  

On June 8, 2023, an MV-22 Osprey crashed while conducting training at Range-2512 IVO of Holtville, California. All five US service members on board lost their lives in the incident. The investigation revealed that the accident was a result of the pilots losing control due to an unintentional clutch disengagement, followed by a sudden, dual hard clutch engagement (HCE). This unexpected mechanical failure has prompted urgent action to replace relevant components before they reach a predetermined flight-hour threshold. 

Another fatal V-22 Osprey crash occurred during an exercise in Northern Australia on August 27, 2023. The investigation into this is still ongoing. 

Following the diversion of a V-22 Osprey to Amami on September 16, 2023, the USMC said that the recent series of mishaps did not appear to derive from the clutch issue. 

“Currently, there are no indications that these events resulted from an MV-22 hard clutch engagement (HCE) malfunction,鈥� Major Rob Martins, a spokesperson for the Okinawa-based 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, told in an emailed statement. 鈥淚n each of these events, the aircraft sensors and monitoring systems performed as designed.鈥� 

On September 18, 2023, the USMC directed all its aviation units to conduct a two-day stand-down in flight operations following three Class-A aviation mishaps involving Marine aircraft over the past six weeks, namely the V-22 crash in Australia, the F/A-18D Hornet crash during a training flight in the vicinity of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on August 24, 2023, and a USMC F-35B fighter jet crash in South Carolina after the pilot was forced to eject from the aircraft on September 17, 2023.  

Debris of missing F-35 located, US Marine Corps grounds all flights

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2023-09-19

On September 17, 2023, a USMC F-35B fighter jet went missing in South Carolina after the pilot was forced to eject from the aircraft. The F-35 was reportedly set on autopilot when the pilot ejected, meaning that the stealth fighter continued to fly until it exhausted its fuel supply. Consequently, the US military sought public assistance to locate the aircraft. 

Late on September 18, 2023, Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina announced that personnel from the base and from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, in close coordination with local authorities, had successfully located a debris field in Williamsburg County.  

The discovery of the wreckage, approximately 70 miles (112 kilometers) northeast of Joint Base Charleston, prompted efforts to secure and investigate the crash site. 

In a separate statement, the USMC has directed all its aviation units to conduct a two-day stand-down in flight operations following three Class-A aviation mishaps involving Marine aircraft over the past six weeks. 

Though the three incidents were not specified, they most likely include: 

• The F-35B crash on September 17, 2023 
• An F/A-18D Hornet crash during a training flight in the vicinity of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on August 24, 2023 
• A V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft crash during an exercise in Northern Australia on August 27, 2023听

鈥淒uring the stand down, aviation commanders will lead discussions with their Marines focusing on the fundamentals of safe flight operations, ground safety, maintenance and flight procedures, and maintaining combat readiness,鈥� the USMC explained. 鈥淭his stand down is being taken to ensure the service is maintaining operational standardization of combat-ready aircraft with well-prepared pilots and crews.鈥澨�

US military asks for public help to locate missing F-35 fighter after pilot ejected

• Defense

byClement Charpentreau

2023-09-18

The fighter belonged to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501) based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina. It was part of a two-fighter formation, with the other F-35B returning and landing safely at Beaufort. The ejected pilot was safely recovered. 

“We鈥檙e working with MCAS Beaufort to locate an F-35 that was involved in a mishap this afternoon,鈥� Joint Base Charleston said in an official statement, seeking assistance from the public in locating the aircraft. 鈥淚f you have any information that may help our recovery teams locate the F-35, please call the Base Defense Operations Center.鈥� 

The base added that search efforts in coordination with the FAA were focused around Lake Moultrie and Lake Marion, located north of the city of Charleston, South Carolina. 

According to information obtained from the Department of Defense by , the F-35 was reportedly set on autopilot when the pilot ejected. This means that the stealth fighter continued to fly until it exhausted its fuel supply.  

Depending on the amount of fuel left before the ejection, the aircraft could have flown hundreds of kilometers. With the shortest operational range of the three existing variants, the F-35B can fly up to 900 nautical miles (1,700 km). 

A similar incident took place on September 4, 2022, when a Cessna Citation II private jet carrying four people crashed off the coast of Latvia. The aircraft, which became unresponsive shortly after takeoff, had crossed the airspace of Spain, France, Germany, and Sweden.  

According to a provisional report issued by the Federal Accident Investigation Office of Germany, the pilot, German businessman Peter Griesemann, and his passengers are likely to have lost consciousness after the depressurization of the business jet cabin. 

Germany-bound Cessna Citation II jet crashes off the Latvian coast

• Aviation Safety

byVyte Klisauskaite

2022-09-05

Designed as a successor to the existing VH-3D Sea King and VH-60N White Hawk helicopters, the VH-92A aims to assume the mission of providing helicopter transportation for the President of the United States.  

The White House has expressed its intention to procure a fleet of 21 VH-92A helicopters, including two for testing purposes, representing a notable enhancement in presidential transport security. 

During a Connecticut business forum, Paul Lemmo, President of Sikorsky, revealed that the VH-92A helicopters are already operational for certain presidential missions.  

鈥淩ight now, there’s a mix of the new aircraft and the old aircraft, and over the next year or so we expect the VH-92 to take over completely,鈥� Lemmo stated, as reported by . 

After the Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel was terminated in 2009 due to delays, the Navy relaunched the VXX program in search of a viable substitute for the aging VH-3D and VH-60N helicopters.  

Following a comprehensive evaluation, Sikorsky’s VH-92A emerged as the chosen contender for the Marine One mission in 2014. A year later, Lockheed Martin acquired Sikorsky from United Technologies Company. 

In 2019, the construction of the new Marine One helicopters began. In a 2020 report, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that the VH-92A program was 鈥済enerally on target with cost and schedule,鈥� despite 鈥渟ome communications software issues still need[ing] to be resolved.鈥� By November 2021, the initial two prototypes had been delivered.  

Sikorsky expects to complete the 23rd and final helicopter in the summer of 2024. The fleet is to be flown by Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1).  

Based at Marine Corps Air Facility Quantico in Virginia, HMX-1 serves as the dedicated United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron, entrusted with the responsibility of providing transportation for the President and Vice President of the United States, among other VIPs.