A United States Air Force Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules that sustained damage to its wing, landing gear, and engines has been successfully returned to service. The aircraft suffered a hard landing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, during a training sortie in April 2020, and an initial inspection determined that the Super Hercules should be retired from service.

According to the Air Force, the damage resulted in “structural integrity of the wings, engines, and landing gear assemblies.” The issue was complicated by the fact that the C-130J was based in Germany and could not be flown back to the United States for repairs.

However, maintenance crews at the US Air Force’s Ramstein Air Base were given a chance to repair the aircraft. The C-130J required new wings, engines, and other components to be shipped from the United States, but with these parts in hand, Ramstein’s 86th Maintenance Group from the 86th Air Wing was up to the challenge.

“The project started when the program office took a look at the hard landing and the specifications and decided that it would........

© The National Interest