Last of Its Kind: 58th SOW Welcomes Final MC-130J to Kirtland AFB Published Jan. 16, 2025 By 1Lt Will Witherow 58th Special Operations Wing KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, NM. -- The final MC-130J ever produced has joined the 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base. Aircraft 5994 arrived Jan. 14, 2025, after rolling off the production line in Marietta, Georgia, in 2024. It then underwent upgrades at the Rapid Development Integration Facility at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to officially become an MC-130J. This aircraft is the final MC-130J the U.S. Air Force will receive from Lockheed Martin, marking the end of a 14-year production run. In addition to receiving the last MC-130J, the 58th Special Operations Wing also houses the first production MC-130J, originally delivered to Cannon Air Force Base in 2011. It is only fitting that the first and last aircraft are united at the same base, and the 58th SOW is honored to have them both. Accepting a new aircraft involves many personnel working to ensure it is ready for Air Force use straight off the production line. The 58th Special Operations Wing’s 415th Aircraft Maintenance Unit will spend approximately two weeks inspecting the aircraft to ensure it is ready for students at the 415th to use for training flights, in addition to creating the necessary paperwork and data. Each aircraft receives its own maintenance history sheet, and this aircraft’s record will begin with the 58th SOW. Maintenance units are crucial to ensuring each aircraft is ready for training flights. “Every training flight requires at least 40 man-hours from maintenance to ensure the aircraft is safe and effective. These aircraft will also see a minimum of 200 flight hours every year with our students,” explained MSgt. Brent Ogle, 415th AMU production superintendent. This new aircraft brings the total number of MC-130Js assigned to the 58th SOW to eight, allowing for even more pilot and aircrew training for the Air Force. The 58th SOW is proud to own both the youngest and the oldest MC-130Js in the Air Force and looks forward to flying on 5994 soon.