The US Coast Guard’s newest mediumrange surveillance aircraft formally entered service on June 30, 2016, when the Leonardo HC-27J replaced the Lockheed HC-130H at Air Station Sacramento, California.
LAST JUNE’S CHANGE of watch ceremony marked the final day that the Hercules stood watch at the California air station, which is located at McClellan Airfield in Sacramento. The HC-130H had operated from the facility since September 1978, when Air Station San Francisco’s fixed-wing aircraft were relocated to the former US Air Force base.
Air Station Sacramento is the first operational unit to place the Spartan in service and received its initial HC-27J in April 2016. The HC-27J began to stand watch at the air station last April 4 and was tasked to fly a search and rescue mission — involving an overdue sailing vessel off the coast of San Francisco — the same day. Although the HC-130H and HC-27J initially alternated duty days, the ratio of Hercules duty days decreased as the number of assigned Spartans increased, until the HC-130H flew its final mission.
The new medium-range surveillance (MRS) aircraft achieved initial operational capability (IOC) when the fourth of a planned fleet of six aircraft arrived at …
