UK MOD slammed for creating capability gap after axing RAF C-130J fleet

The decision to retire the RAF’s fleet of C-130J Hercules C4/C5 tactical transports earlier than originally planned has left a capability gap in air mobility tasks and special forces operations, a report by an influential group of British MPs has found. Released in March 2022, the Defence Command Paper announced that the RAF’s 14 C-130J Hercules C4/C5 transports – which formed the backbone of the UK’s air mobility fleet – would be taken out of service by 2023, some seven