Minnesota Air National Guard to get 8 shiny new hulking transport planes

The Minnesota Air National Guard unit based next to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will be receiving eight new C-130J Super Hercules aircraft in the coming years, allowing the unit to continue the air transport and disaster relief missions it has performed for half a century.

The Department of the Air Force selected four units around the country to receive eight of the $112 million, larger, faster, more efficient aircraft to replace their aging C-130H fleets, which are about 25 years old.

If Minnesota's 133rd Airlift Wing hadn't been selected, its future mission may have changed drastically, Guard officials and politicians said.

"This is a monumental step forward for Minnesota and the Minnesota National Guard," said Maj. Gen. Shawn Manke, adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard. "These new aircraft will provide our Air Guard with greater capability in supporting our state and our nation around the world."

The aircraft will arrive between 2026 and 2028, and pilots will need about six months of training to fly them. The other units to receive upgrades to their fleets will be the 103rd Airlift Wing in Hartford, Conn., the 120th Airlift Wing in Great Falls, Mont., and the 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria, Ill.

C-130s are a hulking, versatile military transport aircraft, used for everything from transporting personnel and cargo to dropping relief aid after natural disasters to serving as a hospital in the sky for injured service members.

Brig. Gen. Dan Gabrielli, a former C-130 pilot who leads the 133rd Airlift Wing as well as the 148th Fighter Wing out of Duluth, was giddy in describing the advantages the new planes have over the old ones.

"It's bigger, it's faster, it can carry more," Gabrielli said.

At Friday's announcement at Minneapolis-Saint Paul Joint Air Reserve Station, most of Minnesota's congressional delegation sat in front of one of the hulking old aircraft. They stressed the bipartisan support and constant pressure that enabled the Minnesota unit to be selected from the seven competing for the new Lockheed Martin planes.

Politicians and military leaders highlighted how the region's status as an aviation hub was integral for the military's decision. As they spoke, aircraft from the adjacent civilian airport roared overhead every minute or so.

"For this Super Hercules plane, it took a super-herculean effort to get this done," U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, said.

"This is not a political issue — it's about supporting the brave men and women of the Minnesota Air National Guard," said U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn. "The 133rd Airlift Wing will now be equipped with the best possible aircraft."

Politicians highlighted that the 133rd Airlift Wing's current fleet of eight planes has flown for more than 200,000 hours, or "27 years in the sky."

They also spoke about how world events have underscored the importance of aircraft like these.