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| number built = MC-130E: 18<ref name="thig461"/> <br />MC-130H: 24<ref name="thig461"/> <br />MC-130P: 28<ref name="Gallery of USAF Weapons">{{cite journal |date=May 2008 |title=Gallery of USAF Weapons|journal=Air Force Magazine|publisher=Air Force Association|page= 145}}.</ref> <br />MC-130W: 12<ref name="tsj">{{cite web |last=Putrich |first=Gayle S. |url=http://www.tsjonline.com/story.php?F=3866026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717111717/http://www.tsjonline.com/story.php?F=3866026 |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 July 2011 |title=ARINC Flightsafety on U.S. Air Force Combat Spear Trainer |work=Training & Simulation Journal |access-date=8 March 2009}}</ref><br />MC-130J:
| unit cost = MC-130E $75 million<ref name="fact"/> <br />MC-130H $155 million<ref name="fact"/> <br />MC-130W $60 million<ref name="stinger2"/> <br />MC-130J $67.3 million<ref name="CombatShadowII"/>
| developed from = [[C-130 Hercules]] <br />[[C-130J Super Hercules]]
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The Combat Spear was developed in 2006 as an inexpensive version of the Combat Talon II but was reconfigured and designated the [[Lockheed AC-130|AC-130W Stinger II]] in 2012.
The MC-130J, which became operational in 2011, is the new-production variant that is replacing the other special operations MC-130s.<ref name="newmc">[http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2009/December%202009/1209world.aspx "First HC/MC-130J Assembled"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723225943/http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2009/December%202009/1209world.aspx |date=23 July 2011 }}, ''Air Force Magazine'' December 2009. Air Force Association. Retrieved 4 December 2009.</ref> As of
==MC-130E Combat Talon==
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Three MC-130H Combat Talon IIs of the 7th SOS were deployed in December 1995 to deliver peacekeeping forces to [[Tuzla]] and [[Sarajevo]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], as part of ''[[Operation Joint Endeavor]]'', during which one Talon was hit by ground fire.<ref>Thigpen (2001), pp. 414, 419.</ref> The first combat deployment of a Combat Talon II was on 8 April 1996, during ''Operation Assured Response''. Special operations forces were deployed to [[Liberia]] to assist in the evacuation of 2000 civilians from the American embassy when the country broke down into [[First Liberian Civil War|civil war]]. However orders to combat drop an 18-man SEAL team off [[Monrovia]] were rescinded and the mission landed in [[Sierra Leone]].<ref>Thigpen (2001), p. 420.</ref> Similar circumstances brought the Combat Talon II to [[Zaire]] in 1997.
Talon II deployments for joint exercises in 1997 included Australia, Guam, Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand. In July 1997, three Talon IIs deployed to [[Thailand]] as part of ''Operation Bevel Edge'', a proposed rescue of 1000 American citizens trapped in [[Phnom Penh]], [[Cambodia]], by a [[Modern Cambodia#Recent developments|possible civil war]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-08-03|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Modern Cambodia#Recent developments|reason= The anchor (Recent developments) [[Special:Diff/511368828|has been deleted]].}}, but the crisis ended when the Cambodian government allowed all non-citizens who desired so to leave by commercial air.<ref>Thigpen (2001), p. 429.</ref> A 7th SOS Combat Talon II aircrew, ''Whiskey 05'', earned the [[Mackay Trophy]] for an embassy evacuation mission in the [[Republic of the Congo]] in June 1997. The crew rescued thirty Americans and twenty-six foreign nationals, and logged twenty-one hours of flight time.<ref>{{cite web |last=Schilter-Lowe |first=Merrie |title=Combat Talon II crew receives Mackay Trophy |work=Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs |publisher=Air Force News Service |date=27 May 1998 |url=http://www.fas.org/irp/news/1998/05/n19980527_980729.html |access-date=10 December 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230154939/http://www.fas.org/irp/news/1998/05/n19980527_980729.html |archive-date=30 December 2006 }}</ref>
Full Operational Capability for the Talon II was reached in February 2000. At that time 24 MC-130Hs were deployed to four squadrons:
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A month later, two MC-130Hs, flying from Masirah Island, inserted a platoon of [[United States Navy SEALs|U.S. Navy SEAL Team Three]] and four [[Humvee]] vehicles to within ten miles of the same airfield on the night of 20–21 November. The SEAL platoon was inserted to establish an observation post at the airstrip, then assist two [[United States Air Force Combat Control Team|USAF combat controllers]] inserted by [[HALO jump|military free fall]] in preparing a landing zone for the [[15th Marine Expeditionary Unit]]. The 15th MEU landed in CH-53 helicopters on 25 November 2001, and established [[Camp Rhino]], the first [[forward operating base]] in Afghanistan for United States forces.<ref>Bahmanyar, Mir, and Osman, Chris (2008). ''SEALs: The U.S. Navy's Elite Fighting Force''. Osprey, {{ISBN|978-1-84603-226-4}}, pp. 110–111.</ref>
Combat Talon IIs of the 7th SOS, augmented by crews from the 15th and 550th SOSs, flew 13- to 15-hour airdrop and airlanding night resupply missions from Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, to [[Special Forces (United States Army)#Basic Element - SF Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODA) composition|Special Forces Operational Detachments-Alpha]] (ODAs) in Afghanistan during the opening phase of ''[[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Operation Enduring Freedom]]'' in December 2001. Operating in mountainous terrain, they innovated an airdrop tactic by replicating maximum-effort landing techniques to rapidly descend from {{convert|10000|ft|abbr=on}} to {{convert|500|ft|abbr=on}} AGL to ensure accurate gravity drops after clearing high ridgelines into deep valleys.<ref name="McC2">McCool, John (2005). [http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p4013coll13&CISOPTR=88&CISOBOX=1&REC=1 Interview with Major David Diehl, USAF] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.
====Iraq====
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The 7th SOS, commanded by Lt Col Mark B. Alsid and part of the [[352d Special Operations Group]], received the [[Gallant Unit Citation]] in 2006 for operations conducted during [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]] between 12 February and 12 May 2003. The 7th SOS was tasked to Joint Special Operations Task Force – North, known as [[Task Force Viking]], whose objective was to hold 13 Iraqi Army divisions along the "[[Iraqi Kurdistan|Green Line]]" in northeastern Iraq to prevent those divisions from reinforcing other Iraqi operations against United States forces invading from [[Kuwait]].<ref>The task assigned to the 5,200-man JSOTF-N was originally that of the entire reinforced [[4th Infantry Division (United States)|4th Infantry Division]], denied the use of Turkey as a jumping off point.</ref> Forward-based at [[Constanţa]], [[Romania]], its primary mission was to infiltrate the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Army's [[10th Special Forces Group]] and the 3rd Battalion of the [[3rd Special Forces Group]] into [[Kurdistan Regional Government|Kurdish]]-held territory in preparation for [[Operation Northern Delay]]. Denied permission by Turkey to fly into Iraq from its airspace, the 7th SOS flew the first 280 troops on a circuitous path around [[Turkey]] to a base in [[Jordan]] on 20–21 March 2003.<ref name="bris" /><ref name="rob" /><ref name="McC" />
On 22 March, six Combat Talon IIs (four from the 7th SOS) infiltrated 16 ODAs, four ODBs, battalion command elements, and Air Force Combat Control Teams to complete the fifteen-hour mission, the longest in U.S. Special Operations history. The insertion profile consisted of a four and one-half-hour low level flight at night through western and northern Iraq to [[Erbil|Bashur]] and [[Sulaymaniyah]] airfields, often taking heavy ground fire from the integrated air defenses.<ref>Per Harris, the Talons, penetrating Iraq in single file, encountered four engagements before reaching Tel Afar, then had to transit a known area of dense air defenses referred to as "SAM Alley", where battle damage was incurred.</ref> The Talon IIs, at emergency gross weight limits, operated blacked-out, employed [[Chaff (countermeasure)|chaff]] and [[electronic countermeasures]], flew as low as {{convert|100|ft|abbr=on}} AGL, and carried their troops tethered to the floor of the cargo holds.<ref>Known as the "[[Sealy Corporation|Sealy]] configuration", the technique was developed during ''Eagle Claw'' and became standard.</ref> Three of the Talons were battle-damaged, with one forced to seek permission to land at [[Incirlik Air Base]]. The operation became known informally as "Operation Ugly Baby".<ref name="bris">{{cite book |author=Briscoe, Capt. Charles H. |title=All Roads Lead to Baghdad: Army Special Operations Forces in Iraq |publisher=USASOC History Office, Department of the Army |isbn=978-0-16-075364-0 |year=2006 |page=[https://archive.org/details/allroadsleadtoba00bris/page/117 117] |url=https://archive.org/details/allroadsleadtoba00bris/page/117 }}</ref><ref name="rob">{{cite book |author=Linda Robinson |chapter=Viking Hammer (And The Ugly Baby) |title=Masters of Chaos: The Secret History of the Special Forces |publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=1-58648-352-8 |year=2004 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/mastersofchaos00lind/page/297 297–298] |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/mastersofchaos00lind/page/297 }}</ref><ref name="McC">McCool, John (2005). [http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p4013coll13&CISOPTR=11&CISOBOX=1&REC=3 Interview with Major David Harris, USAF] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.
Overflight permission was granted by Turkey on 23 March, and the Combat Talon IIs delivered a total of 50 ODAs into Iraq. The Talon IIs then resupplied Task Force Viking, assisted in operations to capture [[Kirkuk]] and [[Mosul]], airlanded supplies at remote outposts using Internal Airlift Slingable Container Units (ISUs), and acted as [[Pathfinder (RAF)|pathfinders]] for conventional C-130 airlift missions.<ref name="McC" />
=== MC-130H Retirement ===
On April 2, 2023, the United States Air Force retired its last MC-130H Combat Talon II, tail number 89-0280, after delivering the aircraft to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leone |first=Dario |date=2023-04-07 |title=USAF retires its last MC-130H Combat Talon II, #89-0280, after delivering the aircraft to the
The MC-130H was a special operations aircraft that had been in service for more than three decades, performing a variety of missions including infiltration, exfiltration, resupply of special operations forces and equipment, and air refueling operations. The aircraft had played a vital role in AFSOC operations since its arrival in Hurlburt Field in 1992. Its highlights included evacuations of non-combatant Americans and other civilians from conflicts in Liberia in 1996 and the Republic of Congo in 1997. It also participated in combat operations in the Balkans during Operation Allied Force and was used extensively in combat and humanitarian operations worldwide, including operations Enduring Freedom and Inherent Resolve, Resolute Support, Tomodachi in Japan, Unified Response in Haiti, and Sahayogi Haat in Nepal.
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[[File:MC130P.jpg|thumb|MC-130P Combat Shadow]]
The MC-130P series of aircraft entered service in 1965 during the [[Vietnam War]] as HC-130H CROWN airborne controllers to locate downed aircrew and direct [[Search and rescue|Combat Search and Rescue]] operations over North Vietnam. After tanker equipment was added to 11 HC-130Hs, they entered service as HC-130P [[search and rescue|SAR]] command and control/helicopter aerial refueling aircraft in November 1966. 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.<ref name="fact3">{{cite web
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 Airport|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''.<ref name="fact3"/>
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The first of 12 MC-130Ws, AF Ser. No. 87-9286, was presented to Air Force Special Operations Command on 28 June 2006.<ref name="stinger2">{{cite web| url =http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/224/Article/104485/ac-130w-stinger-ii.aspx| title =Fact sheet AC-130W Stinger II| publisher =Air Force Link| access-date =6 April 2016| url-status =live| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193448/http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/224/Article/104485/ac-130w-stinger-ii.aspx| archive-date =3 March 2016}} The MC-130Ws were 87–9286 and 9288, 88–1301 through 1308, 88–1051 and 1057.</ref> The aircraft was developed to supplement the MC-130 Combat Talon and Combat Shadow forces as an interim measure after several training accidents and contingency losses in supporting the [[Global War on Terrorism]].<ref>{{cite journal | last = Hebert| first = Adam|date=March 2007| title = Tough Test For Secret Warriors|journal = Air Force Magazine|publisher= Air Force Association|page= 38}}.</ref> The program modified [[C-130 Hercules#C-130H model|C-130H-2]] airframes from the 1987–1990 production run, acquired from airlift units in the [[Air Force Reserve Command]] and [[Air National Guard]]. Use of the H-2 airframe allowed installation of SOF systems already configured for Combat Talons without expensive and time-consuming development that would be required of new production C-130J aircraft, reducing the flyaway cost of the Spear to $60 million per aircraft. The Combat Spears, however, do not have a Terrain Following/Terrain Avoidance capability.<ref name="CombatShadowII"/>
A standard system of special forces avionics equips the MC-130W: a fully integrated [[Global Positioning System]] and [[Inertial Navigation System]], an AN/APN-241 Low Power Color weather/navigation radar; interior and exterior NVG-compatible lighting; advanced threat detection and automated countermeasures, including active infrared countermeasures as well as chaff and flares; upgraded communication suites, including dual satellite communications using data burst transmission to make trackback difficult; aerial refueling capability; and the ability to act as an aerial tanker for helicopters and [[CV-22 Osprey]] aircraft using Mk 32B-902E refueling pods.<ref name="wombat">{{cite web
The MC-130Ws were assigned to the [[73rd Special Operations Squadron]] at [[Cannon Air Force Base]], [[New Mexico]], with all twelve operational by 2010.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Schanz| first = Marc|date=March 2008| title = Special Operators Head West|journal = Air Force Magazine|publisher= Air Force Association|page= 32}}.</ref> Initially nicknamed the "Whiskey" (NATO phonetic for the "W" modifier), the MC-130W was officially dubbed the Combat Spear in May 2007 to honor the historical legacy of the Combat Talons in Vietnam.<ref name="cs">{{cite web | url = http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/05/airforce_mc130w_combatspear_070515/| title = MC-130P takes historical name| work = Air Force Times| access-date = 8 March 2009}}</ref>
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In September 2010, the Air Force awarded a $61 million contract to [[L-3 Communications]] to give a gunship-like attack capability to eight MC-130W Combat Spear special-mission aircraft. Under the deal, L-3 added the weapons kits, called "precision strike packages". MC-130Ws fitted with the weapons were renamed ''Dragon Spears''. Air Force Special Operations Command eventually converted all 12 MC-130W aircraft to Dragon Spears.
The Dragon Spears were equipped with a [[Bushmaster II]] GAU-23/A 30mm gun (an improved version of the MK44 MOD0 30mm gun), sensors, communications systems,<ref>{{cite web|title=Socom Refines AC-130J Gunship Plans|url=http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/awst/2010/03/22/AW_03_22_2010_p30-213277.xml&headline=Socom%20Refines%20AC-130J%20Gunship%20Plans|work=Aviation Week}}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and the Gunslinger [[precision-guided munition]]s system: a launch tube designed to fire up to 10 [[GBU-44/B Viper Strike]] or [[AGM-176 Griffin]] small standoff munitions in quick succession.<ref name="PGB">Hambling, David. [https://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/06/spec-ops-shops-for-10-pack-of-precision-glide-bombs/#Replay "Spec Ops Shops for 10-pack of precision guided bombs"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328234949/http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/06/spec-ops-shops-for-10-pack-of-precision-glide-bombs/ |date=28 March 2014 }}. WIRED, 25 June 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.</ref><ref name="Socom seeks $200 Million reprogramming for MC-130W gunship mods">Reed, John. ''Inside The Air Force'', 17 July 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.</ref> Initial supplemental funds to the 2010 Defense Authorization Bill were for two kits to be installed in 2010.<ref>Maze, Rick. [http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/06/military_armedservices_authorizationbill_061109w/# "Panel adds $308 million to spec ops budget"] ''Navy Times'', 11 June 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2009.</ref>
The MC-130W Dragon Spear went from concept to flying with a minimum capability in less than 90 days, and from concept to deployment in 18 months.<ref>[http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20170704074654/http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5651904&c=SEA&s=TOP SOCOM Moved Quickly To Create Daytime Gunship] Marcus Weisgerber: 8 February 2011</ref> Its success won its program the William J. Perry Award, and it became the model for the [[AC-130J]] gunship program.<ref>Duncan, Capt. Kristen D. [http://www.afsoc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123244936 "Benchmark 'Dragon Spear' program earns William J. Perry Award"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004081123/http://www.afsoc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123244936 |date=4 October 2011 }}. ''Air Force Special Operations Command Public Affairs''</ref>
The first partially converted MC-130W arrived in Afghanistan in late 2010. It fired its first weapon one month after arriving, killing five
==MC-130J Commando II==
[[File:Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II with winglets takes off from Eglin Air Force Base in March 2016.jpg|thumb|A MC-130J modified with [[winglets]] takes off from [[Eglin Air Force Base|Eglin AFB]] in March 2016.]]
[[File:20200326 MC-130J Commando II Tail 10-5714-Kadena AB-29.jpg|thumb|20200326 MC-130J on final approach at [[Kadena Air Base]]]]
[[File:MC-130J Cockpit.jpg|thumb|{{center|A cockpit view of the MC-130J}}]]
Beginning in 1997, studies of the vulnerability of the non-stealthy MC-130 force reflected concerns about its viability in modern high-threat environments, including the prevalence of [[man-portable air-defense systems]] in [[asymmetric warfare|asymmetric conflicts]]. At least two studies were conducted or proposed to explore the prospect of a replacement aircraft (known variously as "MC-X" or "M-X"), with USAF at that time hoping for an Initial Operating Capability date of 2018.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/mc-x.htm "MC-X Commando Spirit SOF Future Aircraft"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903232057/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/mc-x.htm |date=3 September 2009 }}, GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 15 December 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.janes.com/defence/air_forces/news/jdw/jdw050509_1_n.shtml US Air Force defines future stealth transport] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060222083603/http://www.janes.com/defence/air_forces/news/jdw/jdw050509_1_n.shtml |date=22 February 2006 }}, Jane's.com. Retrieved 15 December 2009.</ref> One analyst questioned the survivability of slow non-stealthy platforms such as the MC-130 in future threat environments in a 2007 presentation to the [[Center for Strategic and International Studies]], and stated his opinion that development of a stealthy replacement for the MC-130 is a "strategic priority".<ref>[http://www.csbaonline.org/4Publications/PubLibrary/S.20070222.Stealthy_Mobility_/S.20070222.Stealthy_Mobility_.pdf "Stealthy Mobility & Support Aircraft for US Special Operations Forces"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081126225336/http://www.csbaonline.org/4Publications/PubLibrary/S.20070222.Stealthy_Mobility_/S.20070222.Stealthy_Mobility_.pdf |date=26 November 2008 }}, by Robert C. Martinage. CSBA online. Retrieved 15 December 2009. Martinage, then a fellow with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment think-tank, went to become a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for SOF/low intensity conflict operations.</ref> The [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Department of Defense's]] ''2006 [[Quadrennial Defense Review]] Report'' also recognized the concern, asserting DoD's intention to "enhance capabilities to support SOF insertion and extraction into denied areas from strategic distances."<ref name="qdr">{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/qdr/report/Report20060203.pdf |title=2006 Quadrennial Defense Review report |publisher=U.S. department of Defense |access-date=15 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028014105/http://www.defense.gov/qdr/report/Report20060203.pdf |archive-date=28 October 2012 }}, p. 45.</ref>
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Production of the first MC-130J aircraft was started at [[Lockheed Martin]]’s facility in Marietta, Georgia, on 5 October 2009. Lockheed Martin also contracted to build an HC-130J tanker variant for Air Force Special Operations Command on its standard [[C-130J]] production line. The MC-130J is the first C-130 specifically built for special operations, making it lighter and more efficient. Most special operations aircraft are modified after production to accommodate special operations missions.<ref name="rollout" /> The MC-130J was initially called the Combat Shadow II to honor the service of the aging MC-130P platform that it was replacing but was officially named the Commando II in March 2012.<ref name=CombatShadowII>{{cite web|title=Factsheet MC-130J Commando II|url=http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/224/Article/104510/mc-130j-commando-ii.aspx|publisher=Air Force.mil|access-date=6 April 2016|date=15 September 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090221/http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/224/Article/104510/mc-130j-commando-ii.aspx|archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
The [[Air Force Special Operations Training Center]] conducted the initial MC-130J training program in conjunction with the [[Pennsylvania Air National Guard]]'s [[193rd Special Operations Wing]], using its four
The [[522nd Special Operations Squadron]] was the first unit to operate the MC-130J Commando II,<ref>[http://www.cannon.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123250842 "522 SOS Fireballs return to Cannon"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724183706/http://www.cannon.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123250842 |date=24 July 2011 }} By Airman 1st Class Jette Carr, 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs, 8 April 2011</ref> and achieved Initial Operational Capability in 2012. The first MC-130J, AF Ser. No. 09-6207, undertook its initial test flight on 22 April 2011.<ref>[http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2011/110422ae_new-c130-shadow.html "A New C-130 Shadow in the Sky"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425150007/http://www.lockheedmartin.com/news/press_releases/2011/110422ae_new-c130-shadow.html |date=25 April 2011 }} ''Lockheed Martin'' 22 April 2011</ref> The [[522nd Special Operations Squadron]] received its first MC-130J in late September 2011.<ref>[http://www.cannon.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/4947/Article/207360/afsocs-first-mc-130j-combat-shadow-ii-arrives-at-cannon.aspx "AFSOC's First MC-130J Combat Shadow II arrives at Cannon AFB"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422140823/http://www.cannon.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/4947/Article/207360/afsocs-first-mc-130j-combat-shadow-ii-arrives-at-cannon.aspx |date=22 April 2016 }} retrieved 6 April 2016</ref>
A total of 37 MC-130J aircraft are programmed to replace all other MC-130 variants by the end of the fiscal year 2017. MC-130Js completely replaced Combat Talons at [[RAF Mildenhall]] in 2014 and began replacing those at [[Kadena AB]] in 2015. 20 were in service in FY 2015 with seven additional airframes in production.<ref name="afm2015almanac">{{cite journal|last=Church|first=Aaron |date=May 2016 |title=2016 USAF Almanac: Gallery of USAF Weapons|journal=Air Force Magazine |volume=99 |issue=5| page=76}}</ref> On 26 October 2019, MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft accompanied [[Joint Special Operations Command]] [[160th SOAR]] MH-60 and MH-47s, which carried 1st SFOD-D and 75th Ranger RRC operators, into Idlib province during the [[Barisha raid]].
As part of AFSOC’s multimission fleet consolidation the MC-130J Commando II is replacing both [[Lockheed EC-130|EC-130J Commando Solo and Super-J]].
==Operational losses==
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Two of the four aircraft assigned to Project ''Stray Goose'' were lost in combat: 64-0563 was destroyed on 25 November 1967, by a direct hit of a mortar round while parked on the Nha Trang flightline. The aircraft had been scheduled for a mission and had just completed preflight of the exterior when the mission was cancelled. Soon after the crew left the ramp, the aircraft was hit and destroyed by fire.<ref name="ct89">Thigpen (2001), p. 89.</ref>
64-0547 was [[Missing in action|missing-in-action]] with its entire 11-man crew on 29 December 1967, on a mission to drop leaflets inside North Vietnam. The Blackbird had completed its leaflet drop leg of the mission at {{convert|30000|ft|abbr=on}} and begun its descent to its terrain-following exit altitude. Communication was lost without the Blackbird reporting any threats detected. SOF commanders at the time discounted the possibility of its being shot down because the flight, conducted by an inexperienced aircraft commander under new moon conditions, was not claimed as such by North Vietnam. In November 1992, the wreckage was located near the peak of a mountain {{convert|32|mi|abbr=on}} northeast of [[Dien Bien Phu]], and it was surmised that its descent was too steep for its TF/TA radar to stabilize. 64-0547 was the only special operations MC-130 lost on a combat mission over hostile terrain in the history of the program.<ref name="ct90">Thigpen (2001), p. 90–101.</ref>
64-0558 was lost in a mid-air collision during a night training exercise 15 miles north of [[Conway, South Carolina]] on 5 December 1972. An [[F-102 Delta Dagger]] of the [[South Carolina Air National Guard]], attempting a night intercept of the Talon, flew into the fuel [[drop tank]] on its right wing, with the loss of both aircraft, killing all 12 aboard the C-130E(I). 64-0558 had been one of the two Talons assigned to the Son Tay POW camp rescue mission.<ref>Thigpen (2001), p. 70. The F-102 was AF Ser. No. 56-1517 of the SCANG's [[157th Fighter Squadron|157th Fighter Interceptor Squadron]].</ref>
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Combat Talon II 90-0161, also of the 15th SOS, crashed into Monte Perucho, south of [[Caguas, Puerto Rico]], during a training mission on 7 August 2002, killing all ten aboard. The Talon was flying a terrain-following night mission in blowing rain and fog, along a low level route commonly used by the [[Puerto Rico Air National Guard]]. The crew misinterpreted and disregarded terrain obstacle warnings.<ref name="crash3">{{cite web| url =http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20020807-0| title =C-130 loss 7 Aug 2002| publisher =Air Safety Network| access-date =9 March 2009| url-status =live| archive-url =http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110808100022/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20020807-0| archive-date =8 August 2011}}</ref>
Combat Talon II 85-0012 was severely damaged during a landing accident at [[Qayyarah-West Air Base]], south of [[Mosul]], [[Iraq]], on 29 December 2004. The 15th SOS aircraft was on a resupply mission and struck
A Combat Talon II of the 7th SOS, 87-0127 (''Wrath 11''), crashed during a terrain-following-and-avoidance night training exercise on 31 March 2005, near [[Moglicë|Rovie]], in the Drizez Mountains in southeast [[Albania]], 60 miles southeast of [[Tirana]]. The Talon had taken off from [[Tirana-Rinas Airport]] 20 minutes before and was one of two flying at {{convert|300|ft|abbr=on}} AGL at a reduced power setting. An investigation revealed that the plane stalled attempting to clear terrain following the crew's "loss of situational awareness." All nine crew members aboard were killed.<ref>{{cite web| url =http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/134143/officials-release-albania-accident-report.aspx| title =Officials release Albania accident report| publisher =[[United States Air Force]]| date =21 June 2005| access-date =9 June 2016| url-status =live| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160807195418/http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/134143/officials-release-albania-accident-report.aspx| archive-date =7 August 2016}}</ref><ref name="crash5">{{cite web| url =http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20050331-0| title =C-130 loss 31 Mar 2005| publisher =Air Safety Network| access-date =9 March 2009| url-status =live| archive-url =http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110808100026/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20050331-0| archive-date =8 August 2011}}</ref>
==Specifications (MC-
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=USAF factsheet : MC-
|prime units?=imp
<!--
General characteristics
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|crew=Two pilots, one Combat Systems Officer (officers), and two Loadmasters (enlisted)
|capacity=
|length ft=
|length in=9
|length note=
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|span note=
|height ft=38
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqft=
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|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil=<!--'''root:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA ]]; '''tip:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA ]]<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>-->
|empty weight lb=
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
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-->
|eng1 number=4
|eng1 name=[[
|eng1 type=[[turboprop]] engines
|eng1 shp=
|eng1 note=
|prop blade number=
|prop name=fully-feathering reversible propellers
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
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Performance
-->
|max speed mph=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed mph=417
|cruise speed note=at 22,000 feet
|stall speed mph=
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|minimum control speed mph=
|minimum control speed note=
|range miles=
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|combat range miles=
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|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=with 42,000 lb payload
|g limits=
|climb rate ftmin=
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Armament
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|bombs=
|avionics=
}}
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