One of the aircraft used to capture the former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro is at Campo Grande Air Base (BACG), in Mato Grosso do Sul, to participate in an operational exercise.
The information was confirmed by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), through the Preparation Command (COMPREP): “The HC-130J aircraft of the United States Air Force (USAF) is at Campo Grande Air Base (BACG), in Mato Grosso do Sul (MS),” the statement says.
The Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II is a specialized combat search-and-rescue version of the Hercules aircraft.
The Joint Operational Exercise Tapio 2026 is a military training conducted from August 14 to September 24. Activities take place in the municipalities of Campo Grande, Aquidauana, Miranda and Bodoquena.
According to Lockheed Martin, the aircraft manufacturer, the HC-130J Combat King II “is the USAF’s only dedicated personnel recovery platform, operated by the Air Combat Command (ACC)”
“This variant of the C-130J is specialized in tactical profiles and in rescue and evasion operations in hostile environments. The Air Education and Training Command also operates HC-130Js, training crews for operational missions,” the company says.
The United States Air Force says that the HC-130J Combat King II serves as the only fixed-wing platform dedicated exclusively to personnel rescue and recovery operations from the U.S. Air Force inventory.
Designed by Lockheed Martin as an extended-range variant of the C-130J Hercules cargo aircraft, the aircraft carries out missions in all weather conditions, performing parachutist and supply drops, aeromedical evacuations and refueling of helicopters in flight or on the ground in forward zones.
According to the manufacturer, the propulsion of the four-engine aircraft is composed of four Rolls-Royce AE2100D3 turboprop engines, capable of delivering 4,591 shaft horsepower per engine.
The fuel system guarantees an operational range exceeding 6,430 kilometers, expandable via an upper receptacle for in-flight refueling.
The operation requires a basic crew consisting of five service members: three officers – pilot, co-pilot and combat systems officer – and two enlisted personnel responsible for cargo management and release.
The aircraft features integrated inertial navigation and GPS systems, forward-looking infrared sensors, missile approach warning receivers and “chaff and flare” dispensers.
To avoid detection by radars and enemy weapons, the crews undertake flights predominantly at night, at low or medium altitude, maintaining communications silence and extinguishing exterior lighting. The aircraft’s interior and exterior lighting systems are compatible with night vision goggles.
