C-130 Hercules Tactical Transport Aircraft

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A C-130J Super Hercules takes a pass over Larissa Drop Zone Feb. 7, 2014, in Greece during Stolen Cerberus training. (USAF photo by Tech. Sgt. Chris Birdwell/Released)

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin).

A Lockheed C-130H Hercules of the Royal New Zealand Air Force parked at Hobart International Airport. (YSSYguy / Wiki Common)

Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport aircraft.

Lockheed C-130H Hercules CH11 of the Belgian Air Force, in invasion markings, at Antwerp International Airport during the Antwerp Liberation Festivities 2019. (Ad Meskens / Wiki Common)

The C-130 features a loading ramp and door in the tail that can accomodate palletized loads, vehicles and troops. The aircraft can airdrop up to 19,000 kg (42,000 lb) loads or land on short, unimproved airstrips in forward combat zones.

Lockheed C-130H Hercules CH11 of the Belgian Air Force, in invasion markings, at Antwerp International Airport during the Antwerp Liberation Festivities 2019. (Ad Meskens / Wiki Common)

The C-130 can be rapidly reconfigured for the various types of cargo such as palletized equipment, floor-loaded material, airdrop platforms, container delivery system bundles, vehicles and personnel or aeromedical evacuation.

Lockheed C-130H Hercules CH11 of the Belgian Air Force, in invasion markings, at Antwerp International Airport during the Antwerp Liberation Festivities 2019. (Ad Meskens / Wiki Common)

The C-130 can deliver personnel, equipment or supplies either by landing or by various aerial delivery modes. Three primary methods of aerial delivery are used for equipment.

• In the first, parachutes pull the load, weighing up to 19,000 kg (42,000 lb), from the aircraft. When the load is clear of the plane, cargo parachutes inflate and lower the load to the ground.
• The second method, called the Container Delivery System, uses the force of gravity to pull from one to 16 bundles of supplies from the aircraft. When the bundles, weighing up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) each, are out of the aircraft, parachutes inflate and lower them to the ground.
• The Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System is the third aerial delivery method. With LAPES, up to 17,000 kg (38,000 lb) of cargo is pulled from the aircraft by large, inflated cargo parachutes while the aircraft is five to 10 feet above the ground. The load then slides to a stop within a very short distance. Efforts are underway to increase the maximum load weights for LAPES aerial delivery to 19,000 kg (42,000 lb).

Lockheed C-130H Hercules cockpit. (Ad Meskens / Wiki Common)

In its personnel carrier role, the C-130 can accommodate 92 combat troops or 64 fully equipped paratroops on side-facing seats. For medical evacuations, it carries 74 litter patients and two medical attendants. Paratroopers exit the aircraft through two doors on either side of the aircraft behind the landing-gear fairings. Another exit is off the rear ramp for airdrops.

Lockheed C-130H Hercules cargo. (Ad Meskens / Wiki Common)

The C-130's design maximum gross weight is 70,000 kg (155,000 lb) with a normal landing weight of 59,000 kg (130,000 lb). The operating weight is approximately 36,000 kg (80,000 lb).

The airplane is capable of airlifting 92 ground troops, 64 fully equipped paratroopers, or 74 litter patients. It can also carry 20,000 kg (45,000 lb) of cargo.

Lockheed C-130H Hercules CH11 of the Belgian Air Force, in invasion markings, at Antwerp International Airport during the Antwerp Liberation Festivities 2019. (Ad Meskens / Wiki Common)

The versatile airframe has found uses in a variety of other roles, including as a gunship (AC-130), for airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol, and aerial firefighting.

It is now the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. More than 40 variants of the Hercules, including civilian versions marketed as the Lockheed L-100, operate in more than 60 nations.

A US Air Force Reserve HH-60G Pave Hawk search and rescue helicopter, conducts in-flight refueling with a Air Force Reserve Command HC-130 Hercules tanker aircraft during a mission over Tallil Air Base, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. 5 May 2003. (USAF photo/Staff Sgt. Shane Cuomo)

Variants
Significant military variants of the C-130 include:

• C-130A/B/E/F/G/H/K/T. Tactical airlifter basic models
• C-130A-II Dreamboat. Early version Electronic Intelligence/Signals Intelligence (ELINT/SIGINT) aircraft
• C-130J Super Hercules. Tactical airlifter, with new engines, avionics, and updated systems
• C-130B BLC. A one-off conversion of C-130B 58-0712, modified with a double Allison YT56 gas generator pod under each outer wing, to provide bleed air for all the control surfaces and flaps.
• C-130K. Designation for RAF Hercules C1/W2/C3 aircraft
• AC-130A/E/H/J/U/W. Gunship variants
• C-130D/D-6. Ski-equipped version for snow and ice operations.
• CC-130E/H/J Hercules. Designation for Canadian Armed Forces / Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules aircraft.
• C-130M. Designation used by the Brazilian Air Force for locally modified / up-graded C-130H aircraft
• DC-130A/E/H. USAF and USN Drone control
• EC-130 (5 variants).  Airborne psychological warfare aircraft, Electronic warfare and electronic attack aircraft, and Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C)
• GC-130. Permanently grounded instructional airframes
• HC-130 (4 variants). Combat search and rescue
• JC-130. Temporary conversion for flight test operations; used to recover drones and spy satellite film capsules.
• KC-130F/R/T/J. United States Marine Corps aerial refueling tanker and tactical airlifter.
• LC-130F/H/R. Ski-equipped version for Arctic and Antarctic support operations.
• MC-130 (5 variants). Special operations aircraft
• NC-130. Permanent conversion for flight test operations
• PC-130/C-130-MP. Maritime patrol
• RC-130A/S. Surveillance aircraft for reconnaissance
• SC-130J Sea Herc. Proposed maritime patrol version of the C-130J, designed for coastal surveillance and anti-submarine warfare.
• TC-130. Aircrew training
• VC-130H. VIP transport
• WC-130A/B/E/H/J. Weather reconnaissance ("Hurricane Hunter") version for USAF / Air Force Reserve Command's 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron in support of the National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center

A C-130 Hercules from Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, makes a water drop, over New Mexico during annual Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS) training. 02 May 2007. (Technical Sergeant Rick Sforza, United States Air Force)

The initial production model was the C-130A, with four Allison T56-A-11 or -9 turboprops. Conceptual studies of the C-130A, were initiated in 1951.

The first prototype flight took place in 1954 and the first production flight followed on April 7, 1955. A total of 219 were ordered and the C-130A joined the U.S. Air Force inventory in December 1956.

Two DC-130A's (originally GC-130A's) were built as drone launchers/directors, carrying up to four drones on underwing pylons. All special equipment was removable, permitting the aircraft to be used as freighters, assault transports, or ambulances.

C-130 Angel Flares

The C-130J is the latest addition to the C-130 fleet and will replace aging C-130Es. The C-130J incorporates state-of-the-art technology, which reduces manpower requirements, lowers operating and support costs, and provides life-cycle cost savings over earlier C-130 models.

Compared to older C-130s, the J model climbs faster and higher, flies farther at a higher cruise speed, and takes off and lands in a shorter distance. The C-130J-30 is a stretch version, adding 15 feet to the fuselage, increasing usable space in the cargo compartment.

Two C-130H Hercules drop heavy equipment payloads April 18, 2014, over South Korea during exercise Max Thunder. (USAF photo by Capt. Raymond Geoffroy/Released)

Specifications (C-130H)

General characteristics
Crew: 5 (2 pilots, CSO/navigator, flight engineer and loadmaster)
Capacity: 42,000 lb (19,000 kg) payload
Length: 97 ft 9 in (29.79 m)
Wingspan: 132 ft 7 in (40.41 m)
Height: 38 ft 3 in (11.66 m)
Wing area: 1,745 sq ft (162.1 m2)
Empty weight: 75,800 lb (34,382 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 155,000 lb (70,307 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Allison T56-A-15 turboprop engines, 4,590 shp (3,420 kW) each
Propellers: 4-bladed Hamilton Standard 54H60 constant-speed fully feathering reversible propellers, 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) diameter

Performance
Maximum speed: 320 kn (370 mph, 590 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
Cruise speed: 292 kn (336 mph, 541 km/h)
Range: 2,050 nmi (2,360 mi, 3,800 km)
Service ceiling:

• 33,000 ft (10,000 m) empty
• 23,000 ft (7,000 m) with 42,000 lb (19,000 kg) payload

Rate of climb: 1,830 ft/min (9.3 m/s)
Takeoff distance:

• 3,586 ft (1,093 m) at 155,000 lb (70,307 kg) max gross weight;
• 1,400 ft (427 m) at 155,000 lb (70,307 kg) gross weight

Avionics: Westinghouse Electronic Systems (now Northrop Grumman) AN/APN-241 weather and navigational radar