US Air Force is Advised to Improve Skiplanes! C-130 Aircraft Replacement for LC-130H Hercules

Presently, the U.S. Air Force is pushed to upgrade its skiplanes. If you're unfamiliar with this type of aircraft, a skiplane is an aeroplane that has been equipped with skis and other accessories to enable it to land on snow and take off from it. The creation of skiplanes has made it possible for the American government to perform operations all over the Arctic. However, the US Congress continues to urge the Air Force to improve its skiplanes. The latest news from AirForce Times indicates that Chinese and Russian forces are enlarging their presence in the Arctic. Because of this, the U.S. Congress wants to make sure that the country's arctic airlift fleet can stay up with China's and Russia's progress. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Image credit - Forbes[/caption] The legislation said that "The Congress thinks that this essential capability must be preserved, upgraded, and ultimately replaced in a suitable and timely manner." As of this writing, the U.S. Congress anticipates the replacement of the current LC-130H Hercules aircraft with a new set of C-130 airframes (aka Skibirds). The LC-130H Hercules, a skiplane variant of the sophisticated C-130 aircraft, is still in use by the U.S. Air Force as of this writing. The C-130 plane has a lengthy history, according to Lockheed Martin. During wartime, it was employed to airdrop military supplies in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and other nations. However, they were built to withstand the extreme polar weather. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Image credit- - Breaking Defense[/caption] Although politicians claimed that skiplanes might last 15 years, some incidents showed that flying in cold weather is already having an impact on the LC-130 units. To learn what occurred to the recently stranded LC-130 near the South Pole in November, click this link. The U.S. Air Force has awarded Leidos a $1 million contract to create a new air-breathing hypersonic system. By 2023, test launches of North Korea's surveillance satellites are anticipated.