A longtime C-130 unit is trying something new: helicopters

AIR FORCE SHARE OF THE DAY

A longtime C-130 unit is trying something new: helicopters
By Rachel S. Cohen
Oct 10, 06:54 PM
The Air Force’s newest helicopter, the MH-139A Grey Wolf, lifts off from the flight line for its first combined test flight Feb. 11, 2020 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Grey Wolf is set to replace the Air Force’s aging UH-1N Huey fleet. (Samuel King Jr./Air Force)
The Air Force’s newest helicopter, the MH-139A Grey Wolf, lifts off from the flight line for its first combined test flight Feb. 11, 2020, at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The Grey Wolf is set to replace the Air Force’s aging UH-1N Huey fleet. (Samuel King Jr./Air Force)

A military airlift unit in Alabama is taking on one of the biggest challenges in its nearly 60-year history: ditching its beloved cargo planes for helicopters.

After 40 years of taking the C-130 Hercules into combat, the Air Force Reserve’s 908th Airlift Wing at Maxwell Air Force Base will become the main hub for training pilots to fly the new MH-139 Grey Wolf — a helicopter designed to patrol nuclear missile fields and evacuate government VIPs in national emergencies.

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