For the first time in its 72-year history, the 106th Rescue Wing has a new aircraft straight from the factory. The New York Air National Guard unit formally accepted the first of four new HC-130J Combat King IIs during a ceremony May 17 at the Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in Westhampton Beach, New York. Officially known as aircraft 16-5863, the unit designated it as the Spirit of Long Island. The HC-130J, an extended-range version of the C-130J Hercules cargo plane, is replacing the aging HC 130P/N as the only fixed-wing, personnel-recovery platform in the Air Force inventory. Rescue units use the Lockheed-built aircraft for the same missions as its predecessor performed: transporting personnel and supplies, airdrops, air-to-air helicopter refueling, and aeromedical evacuation.
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