MC-130P Combat Shadow
The MC-130P series of aircraft entered service during the Vietnam War as the HC-130P SAR command and control/aerial refueling aircraft. Combat Shadows have been part of the Air Force special operations force since 1986. In February 1996, AFSOC's 28-aircraft tanker fleet was redesignated the MC-130P, aligning the variant with other M-series special operations mission aircraft.
Combat Shadows provided air refueling support in Panama to Army and Air Force helicopters during Operation Just Cause. In 1990, four Combat Shadows of the 9th Special Operations Squadron deployed to King Fahd International Airport, Saudi Arabia for Desert Storm, and three of the 67th Special Operations Squadron to Batman Air Base, Turkey for Proven Force. Since the Gulf War, the MC-130P has been involved in numerous operations, including Northern Watch and Southern Watch (Iraq), Deny Flight (Yugoslavia), Restore Democracy and Uphold Democracy (Haiti), Deliberate Force and Joint Endeavor (Bosnia), Assured Response (Liberia), Guardian Retrieval (Zaire), Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Iraqi Freedom.
The Combat Shadow flies single or multi-ship low-level air refueling missions for special operations helicopters conducting infiltration, exfiltration, and supply missions, with command and control capability in limited situations. The primary emphasis for Combat Shadows is on night operations, using NVGs to reduce probability of visual acquisition and intercept by airborne threats.
AFSOC operates 23 MC-130P Combat Shadows in three squadrons:
- 9th Special Operations Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida;
- 17th Special Operations Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa; and
- 67th Special Operations Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, England
Air Education and Training Command operates the MC-130P at the Formal Training Unit:
- 550th Special Operations Squadron, Kirtland AFB, Albuquerque New Mexico
The Air National Guard operates four MC-130P Combat Shadows embedded in the 129th Rescue Wing:
- 130th Rescue Squadron (California Air National Guard), Moffett Federal Airfield, California
In 2008, the Air Force announced that it would replace the MC-130P fleet with a new aircraft based on the C-130J airframe. The MC-130J Commando II has the capability to complete missions faster and more efficiently than its Combat Talon and Combat Shadow counterparts. Recapitalization is a stated priority of Lt. Gen. Donald C. Wurster, commander of Air Force Special Operations Command.
Read more about this topic: Lockheed MC-130
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