ALBUQUERQUE, N. M. (AP) – The United States Air Force has selected a base in New Mexico as a long-term headquarters for its AC-130J aircraft and educational force.
Officials say Kirtland Air Force Base is to their liking for relocating the Ghostrider formal education unit, as it would consolidate education into a special operation.
Colonel Mike Curry said at a recent press convention that special operations wing 58 in Kirtland is already preparing variants of C-130J special operations aircraft similar to AC-130J fighter jets.
Curry said other points in the relocation referred to the congested airspace around Hurlburt, the similarities between the New Mexico terrain and the geography of many places where the aircraft is deployed, and the proximity of two educational fields: Melrose Air Force Range and White. diversity of the sands.
The AC-130J aircraft provides close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance to assist special operations worldwide. The latest edition of the fixed-wing aircraft marks the fourth generation, the first of which was used in the Vietnam War.
The first AC-130J Ghostrider arrived in Hurlburt, home of the Air Force Special Operations Command, in July 2015 after being near Eglin Air Force Base.
Each of the highly modified AC-130J aircraft was built at a cost of approximately $115 million. Combat ships have engines that allow you to stay in the air longer without refueling. They also have the ability to fly higher, bring more weight and have interaction goals. over longer distances, Curry said.
In addition to small diameter bombs and Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, combat ships are supplied with 30- and 105-millimeter guns guided through precision laser and GPS systems.
Sherman McCorkle, founder of the Kirtland Association Committee, a network advocacy organization that highlights and supports basic work, told albuquerque Journal that Kirtland has provided pilot education opportunities for more than 3 decades that are “incomparable in the United States. “
More than 10,000 team members are trained a year at 58 Wing, base officials said.