Air Guard in Reno to receive new C-130s

WASHINGTON - The Nevada Air National Guard is getting eight upgraded C-130 cargo aircraft to replace its current airlift fleet.

The 152nd Airlift Wing is stationed at Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., who was a pilot with the 152nd when it was an air reconnaisance wing, said the aircraft will begin arriving in July.

Gibbons was vice commander of the wing from 1990 until his retirement in 1996.

He said the new aircraft are "better equipped to operate in high mountain regions as they fulfill their missions in their areas of responsibility around the globe."

The military announced the decision Friday.

"These upgraded and modernized C-130s will give the guard the kind of platform they need to perform their mission from airlift support to providing intelligence imagery," said Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev.,