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By Patrick Sullivan business, and we have been doing it for 60 years.
ROBINS AFB, Ga. (AFNS) Nobody else in the world does the repair and
overhaul work that we do here at Robins.”
Since its first flight Aug. 23, 1954, the C-130 Around 50 of the aircraft come through each year
Hercules has proven to be one of the most versatile for maintenance, to include planned depot
and active aircraft in the Air Force’s fleet, having maintenance, unplanned depot-level maintenance
carried troops and supplies from the tundra of like battle damage repair, and modifications.
Antarctica, to the deserts of the Middle East, to the While Robins does significant C-130 work on the
tropical islands of the Pacific, and nearly installation, the scope of its mission does not stop at
everywhere in between. the gates.
Robins AFB, host of the C-130 70th Anniversary The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s
celebration, has played a key role in keeping the C-130 engineering team regularly receives
C-130 fleet equipped with the technology and Engineering Technical Assistance Requests, where
modernizations that make it a critical component of in-unit maintenance teams run into issues they are
the contemporary Air Force fleet. not able to solve on station. In 2023, the AFLCMC
“It’s the greatest airplane ever built, and it’s team received almost 3,500 ETARs, many of which
stained honorably with American blood, sweat and resulted in the aircraft being grounded. In
tears,” said Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air responding to these, Robins AFB coordinates with
Mobility Command. “That airplane is a monument home units to find a solution. When needed,
to everyone that flies, fixes, and supports it … From engineers will deploy to the aircraft’s location to
the assembly line, to the flight line, to the depot resolve the issue, keeping the global C-130 fleet
line, it’s the hands that touch it that make it so flying and active.
powerful.” As the Air Force calls on its members to
The Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at reoptimize for Great Power Competition, the C-130
Robins AFB is the central hub for depot is being prepared for its next chapter. The call for
maintenance and modernization of the C-130. With reoptimization, the emphasis on Agile Combat
12 different C-130 models spread across seven Employment and the challenges of the Pacific
major commands and the Air National Guard, theater mean that the C-130 will continue evolving.
totaling 436 aircraft in the Air Force fleet, effective “To survive and operate in that environment, it
and efficient maintenance is vital to keeping the will absolutely be on the backs of our C-130s,” said
mission running – especially in an era of Great Michael Beasley, the Mobility Directorate C-130
Power Competition. “We’re the best at what we do Hercules division senior materiel leader and retired
here,” said Ben Stuart, 560th Aircraft Maintenance maintenance officer.
Squadron director of operations. “The first flight From increases in engine power and efficiency, to
was in 1954, and we’ve been doing depot new propeller technologies and weight reduction
maintenance on C-130s at Robins since 1964. efforts, the modernization efforts of the C-130 are a
We’ve got mission partners with the program series of upgrades that not only provide individual
office, engineering, the Defense Logistics Agency benefit but work in tandem to make the aircraft as
and Lockheed Martin,” Stuart continued. “That effective as possible.
combination is what makes us the best in the
20 November 2024 Communicator
