US Air Force donates C-130E Hercules to Colombia.

This aircraft is the fifth C-130 the U.S. has donated to Colombia and reflects the longstanding partnership between the two countries and their commitment to security and stability in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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A refurbished C-130E Hercules aircraft is parked at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Sept. 14, 2020, prior to departure to be donated to the Colombian Air Force as part of an Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program grant (Picture source: U.S. Air Force/Tech Sgt. Angela Ruiz)

The extended-range C-130E model entered service in 1962 after it was developed as an interim long-range transport for the U.S. Military Air Transport Service. Essentially a B-model, the new designation was the result of the installation of 1,360 US gal (5,150 L) Sargent Fletcher external fuel tanks under each wing's midsection and more powerful Allison T56-A-7A turboprops. The hydraulic boost pressure to the ailerons was reduced back to 2,050 psi (14.1 MPa) as a consequence of the external tanks' weight in the middle of the wingspan. The E model also featured structural improvements, avionics upgrades and a higher gross weight. Australia took delivery of 12 C130E Hercules during 1966–67 to supplement the 12 C-130A models already in service with the RAAF. Sweden and Spain fly the TP-84T version of the C-130E fitted for aerial refueling capability. And now Colombia joins the operators of this Hercules variant.

The transportation and maintenance component of the Colombian Air Force (Fuerza Aérea Colombiana) comprises the following units:
• Comando Aéreo de Transporte Militar (CATAM) "BG. Camilo Daza Álvarez" in Bogotá D.C.
   Grupo de Transporte Aéreo 81
        Escuadrón de Transporte 811 (C-130B/H, C295M/100)
        Escuadron de Evacuación Médica
• Grupo de Vuelos Especiales 82
       Escuadrón de Transporte Especial 821 (B707-323C, B737-74V, Beech 300ELINT, Beech 350, Bell 412HP, C-95A, Ce208B, Ce550, F28-3000(C), PA-42-720, PA-42T, RC690D, RC695)

Comando Aéreo de Mantenimiento (CAMAN) "MY. Justino Mariño Cuesta" in Madrid, Cundinamarca
• Grupo de Transporte Aéreo 91
        Escuadrón de Transporte 911 (Beech C90, C212-300)

U.S. Air Force Maj. Angel Serna, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), Col. Kirk Stahlbaum, 612th Air Operations Center, Maj. Gen. Barry Cornish, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) commander, Colombian Air Force Col. Danysh Forero Camacho, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Colombian foreign liaison officer, U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Christopher Caminiti, 514th Flight Test Squadron C-130 loadmaster, Master Sgt. Allen Clutter, 514th Flight Test Squadron C-130 flight engineer, and Lt. Col. Jeremy Mickelson 514th Flight Test Squadron C-130 pilot, stand in front of a regenerated C-130E Hercules aircraft at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group prior to it departure for Colombia at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Sept. 14, 2020. (Picture source: U.S. Air Force/Tech Sgt. Angela Ruiz)

Colombian Air Force Col. Danysh Forero Camacho, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Colombian foreign liaison officer, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jeremy Mickelson, 514th Flight Test Squadron C-130 pilot, and U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Barry Cornish, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) commander, sit on the flight deck of a regenerated C-130E Hercules prior to a its departure for Colombia at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Sept. 14, 2020  (Picture source: U.S. Air Force/Tech Sgt. Angela Ruiz)