Montana Air National Guard ends C-130H era with final tactical flight

GREAT FALLS, Mont. — The Montana Air National Guard’s 120th Airlift Wing conducted its final tactical training flight with the C-130H Hercules, Oct. 3, ending a 12-year chapter in the wing’s history.

Two C-130Hs flew a two-ship tactical formation over Montana before returning to Great Falls, where firefighters welcomed the aircraft with a traditional water salute.

The 120th began transitioning from fighter aircraft to tactical airlift in 2013. Since then, Montana airmen have flown C-130H missions around the world, including four major combat deployments.

The wing also operated throughout the Pacific and Europe, with its airmen traveling to more than 50 countries and serving on all seven continents.

Col. Jason Green, commander of the 120th Airlift Wing, served as an aircraft commander on the final tactical flight. “This final flight marks the close of an important chapter in our wing’s history,” Green said. “The C-130H has been central to our mission for more than a decade, and its legacy is defined by the Airmen and the missions that made these aircraft such an important part of the 120th.”

Lt. Col. Casey Lalonde, commander of the 120th Operations Support Squadron and a C-130 pilot, has been part of the wing’s C-130 mission since its beginning.

“When I left for pilot training in 2013, we had F-15s on the ramp,” Lalonde said. “About a year and a half later when I got back, we had C-130s on the ramp. I was the first (pilot) to go all the way through C-130 pilot training.” Lalonde said the final tactical mission was a significant moment for the wing.

“It’s a little bittersweet, but it’s been an extraordinary mission for us,” Lalonde said. “Wing-wide, everybody plays a big part in it. We’ve been doing it for 12 years now, and we’ve had a lot of success with it.”

The C-130H gave the wing the ability to transport personnel, equipment and cargo, performing tactical airlift and air drops in contingency operations across the state of Montana and abroad.

Montana airmen flew and maintained C-130Hs during sustained combat operations in Southwest Asia. The aircraft also supported missions across multiple geographic combatant commands during their service with the 120th.

The two-ship formation used during the final flight was a routine part of the wing’s tactical airlift training.

“We train to a two-ship formation pretty frequently,” Lalonde said. “It’s kind of the bread and butter of our tactical operations.”

Although the final flight marked the end of tactical training for the wing’s C-130Hs, the remaining aircraft have yet to leave Montana.

The 120th originally operated eight C-130Hs. Three remained at Great Falls following the final tactical flight and are scheduled to leave the wing by the end of October.

Several of the former Montana aircraft will continue to serve in other roles.

One aircraft, tail number 7325, was transferred to Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, where it will be used as a static training aircraft for Air Force basic military training.

“Everybody that goes through basic training at Lackland Air Force Base now will actually be training on a Montana C-130, which is kind of cool,” Lalonde said.

Other former Montana C-130Hs have been transferred to partner nations or will be used as training aircraft at other locations.

The end of the C-130H era does not mean the end of tactical airlift in Montana. The 120th is transitioning to the C-130J Super Hercules, with the first new aircraft expected to arrive next year.

Although the C-130J retains the familiar Hercules design, Lalonde said it offers significant improvements in several of the aircraft’s capabilities.

“It really is fundamentally a different aircraft in a lot of different ways,” Lalonde said. “We’ve got all new communications, situational awareness, all the SATCOM-type capabilities and significant improvements in performance.”

The C-130J will also provide greater cargo capacity and improved efficiency while flying faster, farther and higher than the C-130H.

For Green, the transition represents the next phase of the wing’s tactical airlift mission.

\“We’re not saying goodbye to tactical airlift in Montana,” Green said. “We’re transitioning to the next generation of Hercules and preparing our Airmen to carry everything we’ve learned from the H-model into the future.”

The C-130H was the latest in a long line of aircraft flown by Montana airmen, including P-51 Mustangs, F-86 Sabres, F-106’s and F-107’s, and F-16s and F-15s.

As the wing transitions to the C-130J, Green said the experience gained during 12 years of operating the C-130H will continue to shape the 120th Airlift Wing’s mission.

“As the C-130H closes its chapter with the 120th Airlift Wing, we honor the Airmen and the missions that defined the last 12 years,” Green said. “The C-130J will carry that legacy forward.”

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