{"id":21081,"date":"2021-08-02T22:39:21","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T22:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/08\/02\/lawmakers-protect-c-130-fleet-push-for-new-propellers-in-annual-legislation\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:34:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:34:45","slug":"lawmakers-protect-c-130-fleet-push-for-new-propellers-in-annual-legislation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2021\/08\/02\/lawmakers-protect-c-130-fleet-push-for-new-propellers-in-annual-legislation\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers protect C-130 fleet, push for new propellers in annual legislation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

House lawmakers are looking to bar the Air Force from ditching any of its nearly 300 C-130 Hercules airlift planes as part of fiscal 2022 defense policy bill released July 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The House Armed Services seapower and projection forces subcommittee, which handles transport aircraft issues, aims to mandate a minimum of 287 C-130s in the Air Force inventory next year \u2014 the same number as are now in the combined C-130H and C-130J fleets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force wants to retire 13 older C-130Hs in favor of bringing in five new C-130Js, for a net change of eight fewer C-130 airframes. The C-130H inventory would dip from 141 to 128 planes, while the C-130J inventory would grow from 146 to 151 planes. H-models are largely flown by the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ann Stefanek, an Air Force spokeswoman, told Defense News earlier this year<\/a> that the H-model divestment \u201cconstitutes a low level of risk, given future joint war-fighting missions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t