Last USAF Combat Talon II delivered to the Boneyard
On 2 April 2023, the 15th Special Operations Squadron, part of the 1st Special Operations Wing, delivered their final operational Lockheed MC-130H Combat Talon II to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan near Tucson (AZ).
During a small ceremony, the Combat Talon II community gathered at Hurlburt Field FL, to see MC-130H with serial number 89-0280, take off for the last time.
Whilst in USAF service, the "Big nosed" Combat Talon II, also known as the “Talon Standard”, provided infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply of Special Operations Forces (SOF) and equipment in hostile or denied territory. Its secondary missions include psychological operations (PsyOps) and helicopter and vertical lift air refueling.
The MC-130H, which first arrived at Hurlburt Field in June 1992, supported combat and humanitarian operations including Operation Allied Force (Balkans), Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq).
Now, with the retirement of the MC-130H complete, the MC-130J Commando II has officially replaced the Combat Talon II. The following legendary phrases are related to the MC-130H; "When you would finish that perfect mission, you say, ‘of course we did, that’s the Talon Standard". "But, it can also be a really bad day where everything goes wrong and others might give up, but you still get the mission done - that’s the Talon Standard".
A total of 18 MC-130Hs are now gathered at the Arizona Boneyard:
That leaves the following MC-130Hs unaccounted for: 85-0011, 87-0125 and 89-0283. Any information about those three would be appreciated and can be send to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Photo by USAF / Credit Coin: https://phoenixchallengecoins.com/