YOUNGSTOWN AIR RESERVE STATION, Ohio - A familiar sight in the Mahoning Valley skies made its final departure from the Youngstown Air Reserve Station recently as a C-130H Hercules aircraft, known as "9106," flew to retirement.

The aircraft, bearing nose art of a mosquito over an Ohio flag and the phrase "Skeeter Swatter," was part of the 910th Airlift Wing's specialized aerial spray unit. It had logged nearly 11,000 flying hours before heading to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. This facility is known as "The Boneyard" for storing thousands of government aircraft.

The departure is part of a multi-year transition for the Youngstown-based wing, replacing its older C-130H models with the newer, larger C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. The 910th Airlift Wing is the only unit in the Department of Defense with a large-area, fixed-wing aerial spray capability, used to control disease-carrying insects, pest insects, and undesirable vegetation, as well as to disperse oil spills.

The unit has responded to national disasters, including hurricanes and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The first of the new C-130J-30 Super Hercules planes arrived at the base in July 2024, with a second arriving in December. The wing expects to have eight of the new aircraft by 2026. The C-130J-30 is a stretched version of the C-130J, offering more cargo space and capable of carrying 128 troops compared to the C-130H's 90.

The new aircraft represent a significant investment for the base and the Mahoning Valley, valued at approximately $109.75 million per unit, totaling around $878 million. These are the first new aircraft for the 910th Airlift Wing in 30 years.