The Shadow Knows

Posted 10 February 2011

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Photo by John Rossino

The first MC-130J Combat Shadow II for US Air Force Special Operations Command was completed at the Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta, Georgia, on 10 February 2011. Following installation of additional special mission equipment, such as the chin-mounted sensor turret, the aircraft will enter fight test. Combat Shadow II crews will fly clandestine, single or multiship low-level air refueling missions for Special Operations helicopters, and infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply of Special Operations forces by airdrop or airland. The MC-130J will be flown primarily at night to reduce the probability of visual acquisition and interception by airborne threats.

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