RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany, April 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force has successfully delivered a refurbished C-130E Hercules aircraft to the Polish air force.
The U.S. Air Force is working to fulfill an agreement with Poland that includes the delivery of five refurbished Hercules military transport aircraft along with spare parts.
The delivery of the Hercules, which can carry up to 17 tons of equipment, is part of an effort to expand the Polish air force's ability to support evacuation and humanitarian missions and other applications including operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Air Force reported.
"They're one of our allies who are very willing to go," Maj. Gen. William Chambers, U.S. Air Forces in Europe director of air and space operations, said in a statement.
"Whether it is Afghanistan or Iraq, they've been alongside the Americans in both fights. The 'Herc' is a great symbol of the American-Polish partnership, and we're grateful to be alongside them."
The deliveries of five modernized Hercules aircraft, expected to be completed by the summer of 2010, are funded with money from a bilateral military-assistance grant.
