{
  "id": 16389940,
  "title": "Air force pays tribute to retiring CC-130H Hercules planes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/air-force-pays-tribute-to-retiring-cc-130h-hercules-planes",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-24T23:39:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Winnipeg Free Press",
    "slug": "winnipeg-free-press",
    "url": "https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/10/24/air-force-pays-tribute-to-retiring-cc-130h-hercules-planes"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) held a farewell ceremony for its last remaining CC-130H Hercules planes on Saturday in Winnipeg. These planes, dubbed \"workhorses,\" had a long and varied history of service in combat, rescue, and transport operations. The federal government is phasing out the CC-130H Hercules fleet, which first entered service in 1974, in favor of newer aircraft, such as the CC-295 Kingfisher. The RCAF's 435 Transport Search and Rescue Squadron, based at 17 Wing Winnipeg, is the final unit to fly the CC-130H Hercules. Two planes still in service at the Winnipeg base will be taken out of operation on November 1 and 18, respectively. The remaining aircraft will be either sold to a B.C.-based company for wildfire-fighting use or displayed publicly at museums or bases, potentially including a plane in Winnipeg. The ceremony honored the plane's crews, past and present, including those who lost their lives in crashes or were repatriated after dying in combat. A CC-130H Hercules crew faced extreme turbulence during a mission in Norway House, Alta., in 2025, when a fire-threatened airport runway temporarily forced the crew to navigate through a pyrocumulus cloud. The aircraft sustained significant damage but successfully returned to service. The CC-130H Hercules played a crucial role in NATO-led coalition operations in Afghanistan, air-to-air refuelling missions in Libya, and search-and-rescue missions across Canada, including multiple evacuations during the 2022 wildfires.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Royal Canadian Air Force bids farewell to last CC-130H Hercules planes in Winnipeg ceremony.",
    "Two remaining planes to be retired by November 1 and 18, respectively.",
    "Aircraft honored for combat, rescue, transport operations and firefighting use."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Phasing out these long-serving workhorses for the CC-295 Kingfisher marks a generational shift in the Royal Canadian Air Force's transport and search-and-rescue capabilities.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}