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Air Force Reserve C-130s undergo transformation

  • Published
  • By Capt. Rickardo Bodden
  • Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  C-130 transport aircraft in the Air Force Reserve Command are on the move as the command continues to transform how it does business.

One major action relocates eight C-130s from Gen. Mitchell Air Reserve Station in Milwaukee to Pope AFB, N.C.

The 440th Airlift Wing's flag transferred to Pope this summer as a result of a 2005 Base Realignment and Closure directive. The BRAC commission mandated closing Gen. Mitchell ARS and changing the North Carolina Air Force base to Pope Army Airfield.

"The Air Force Reserve will own 16 aircraft with the Reserve and active duty supplying the manpower," said Lt. Col. Mark Lewandowski, chief of C-130 programs in Headquarters AFRC. "Active-duty personnel will functionally integrate with reservists, inter-flying and maintaining the C-130s."

The 440th AW, at Pope, is the first Air Force Reserve C-130 airlift unit to form an active association with a Regular Air Force unit. About 300 active-duty Airmen will be a part of the active associate unit.

"BRAC dramatically changed the 440th, marking a new beginning as we establish the first-ever active association here at Pope," said Col. Merle D. Hart, 440th AW commander. "The airlift wing is navigating uncharted territory filled with challenge and unmatched level of opportunity. Active association is a new twist on an old concept of association between active duty and Reserve."

The 440th AW will be comprised of a maintenance group, mission support group and an operations group. The operations group will have four operational squadrons - two airlift squadrons, one Air Force Reserve and one active duty, and two aeromedical evacuation squadrons, one Reserve and one active duty.

The wing's leadership will work with active-duty leaders to ensure the readiness of the associate units.

"We will work to gain efficiencies through co-locating shops and personnel," said Colonel Lewandowski.

Transforming the 440th AW is a major milestone in the Air Force's Total Force Integration journey, according to Colonel Hart.

"This (milestone) is not unusual for the 440th," he said. "The wing has always been a pioneer in innovation.

"Our legacy, which finds its roots at Pope AFB dating back to the World War II, is one of success and excellence," said the colonel. "The association with the active duty will be one more glorious chapter in our history."

A second association with active duty is planned for C-130 aircraft and operations at Peterson AFB, Colo. Regular Air Force Airmen will establish an active associate unit with the Air Force Reserve's 302nd AW.

"In late October, we'll be going out there to see if facilities are available to support the manpower the active-duty component will bring," said Colonel Lewandowski.

The Air Force Reserve will form another first in C-130s when it establishes an air reserve component association between its 914th AW and the New York Air National Guard at Niagara Falls IAP ARS, N.Y. The 914th AW will serve as the host wing in this first and only ARC association in the C-130 mission. Details about this association are still being worked out.

Colonel Lewandowski said moving Air Force Reserve C-130 transport units into the associate unit world will benefit the Air Force.

"The main thing I see is the merging of highly experienced Reserve personnel with active-duty personnel," he said. "Reservists bring a lot of experience to the fight.

"Most of us flew with active-duty units during our career," he explained. "Now, all that experience can be shared since we will be flying and maintaining aircraft together in one unit."

Another Air Force Reserve C-130 transport unit, the 913th AW at Willow Grove Air Reserve Station, Pa., was deactivated Sept. 30. The wing's eight C-130s are now flown by the other Air Force units.

"Those C-130s - E models - were transferred to active-duty units to support both operational and training missions," said Colonel Lewandowski.

With the deactivation of the 913th AW, the Air Force Reserve now has nine units flying the C-130 airlift mission.

Other C-130 airlift units include the 908th AW, Maxwell AFB, Ala.; 910th AW, Youngstown ARS, Ohio: 911th AW, Pittsburgh IAP ARS, Pa.; and 934th AW, Minneapolis-St. Paul IAP ARS, Minn.

The 94th AW at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., trains other C-130 units and provides crews for airlift missions. The 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB, Miss., has two flying squadrons. One airlifts troops, cargo and equipment, and the other fliesWC-130 reconnaissance missions into hurricanes and tropical storms to provide data to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. (Air Force Reserve Command News Service)