Summary

  • The C-130 Hercules is a versatile and flexible aircraft with 18 certified diverse missions in its current variant.
  • Recent upgrades and technological improvements have enhanced its performance and capabilities.
  • The aircraft is used by various branches of the US Armed Forces and has a large international customer base.

The Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules will soon mark the 70th anniversary of its maiden flight on August 23, 1954. Over these seven decades of service, newer, bigger, and faster cargo planes have emerged: the C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III, and C-141 Starlifter. Notably, the Galaxy and the Starlifter are also Lockheed products, while the Globemaster is built by Boeing.

Related

5 Versatile Uses Of The C-130 Hercules For The US Air Force

The C-130 is still serving the USAF after 69 years. A major reason for this longevity is the plane’s amazing versatility.

Despite its comparative disadvantages in age, load capacity, and speed, the “Hercules” continues to carry its load for the USAF.

Simple Flying now examines key factors that keep the aircraft named after the Roman god of strength and heroes going strong after seven decades of faithful service.

Unrivaled versatility and flexibility

“Unrivaled versatility” is how the Lockheed Martin product info page describes the C-130J Super Hercules variant of the plane, which made its own maiden flight on April 5, 1996. The basic C-130 platform hasn’t remained frozen in time. In its 70 years of service, it has evolved and adapted to new mission parameters.

Lockheed merged with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995, to form Lockheed Martin.

As Lockheed Martin notes:

“[N]o aircraft in history or operation today can match the C- 130J’s 18 certified, diverse, multi-mission capabilities. These capabilities are either built as a production variant or can be provided through a roll-on/roll-off configuration, providing additional resources with a short turn around installation time.”

The list of the production variants alone is impressive:

  • C-130J-30 Super Hercules
  • EC-130J Commando Solo
  • HC-130J Combat King II
  • HC-130J Coast Guard
  • KC-130J Tanker
  • LM-100J Commercial Freighter
  • MC-130J Commando II

Conspicuous by its omission from that list is arguably the variant of the C-130J that America’s enemies hate and fear the most: the AC-130J Ghostrider. This gunship variant rains hellfire and brimstone upon those enemies in the form of ballistic ordnance:

  • 1× 30 mm ATK GAU-23/A autocannon
  • 1× 105 mm M102 howitzer (A howitzer inside a plane; even the mighty A-10 Warthog can’t make that claim.)
  • ‘Gunslinger’ weapons system with launch tube for AGM-176 Griffin missiles and/or GBU-44/B Viper Strike munitions (10 round magazines)
  • Wing mounted, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles (AC-130J only), GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs), and/or GBU-53/B SDB IIs[108] (4 per hardpoint on BRU-61/A rack)

Earlier editions of the AC-130 gunship bore nicknames such as “Spooky II” and “Spectre.”

The common factor is its versatility when examining the C-130’s career (i.e., all variants, not just the C-130J).

That’s easy enough to infer from the Official USAF Fact Sheets:

“The flexible design of the Hercules enables it to be configured for many different missions, allowing one aircraft to perform the role of many. Much of the special mission equipment added to the Hercules is removable, allowing the aircraft to return to its cargo delivery role if desired. Additionally, 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.”

The US Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard all use some variant of the C-130. By contrast, the USAF is the only branch of the US Armed Forces to have used the C-5, C-17, and C-141. And that’s not even factoring in the Herc’s international customer base, which is far bigger than those other three military transport planes.

Recent capability/performance upgrades

Looking at the Lockheed Martin document, its Pocket Guide to the C-130J, titled “C-130J Hercules: Whatever the Situation, We’ll Be There,” we find various upgrades to the aircraft over the years:

  • Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS) is a forward-looking awareness and warning system for improved in-flight situational awareness.
  • Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Transponder Mode S with Enhanced Surveillance is used in civil communications, navigation, and surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM) airspace.
  • Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) for worldwide operations in CNS/ATM-controlled airspace,
  • Data Transfer and Diagnostic System (DTADS) Interface Unit for maintenance management of critical aircraft systems using a Windows Operating System.
370331 - An AC-130U Gunship from the 4th Special Operations Squadron flies a local training mission on Jan. 27, 2011, at Hurlburt Field, Fla. The AC-130U "Spooky" gunship is the primary weapon of Air Force Special Operations Command. Its primary missions are close air support, air interdiction and armed reconnaissance. The U model is an upgraded version of the H and is equipped with side firing, trainable 25 mm, 40 mm, and 105 mm guns.
Photo: Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock | 1st Combat Camera Squadron | US Air Force

Technology Improvements

The Pocket Guide also lists a separate category, “Recent Capability/Performance Upgrades,” which includes:

  • Head-Up Display (Dual) – Certified Primary Flight Instrument
  • 250 KIAS Airdrop Speed Ramp and Door
  • Single Cross-Ship Fuel Manifold
  • Defensive Systems
  • Air Traffic and Ground Collision Avoidance Systems
  • Enhanced Cargo Handling System (USAF Configuration)
  • Color Digital Map Display
  • Color Weather Radar/Ground Mapping Radar
  • Night-Vision Imaging System (NVIS) Compatible (Flight Deck and Cargo Compartment)

For good measure, there are three technological improvements to the Super Herc’s propulsion system:

  • Rolls-Royce AE2100D3, Flat Rated at 4,591 pshp
  • Full-Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC)
  • Dowty R391 Six-Bladed Composite Propeller

Related

US Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider Arrives In South Korea For Joint Exercise

The US Air Force deployed a gunship as part of its latest joint exercises with South Korea as the North launched another failed missile test.

The C-130 Hercules: Semper Gumby (“Always Flexible”) has been a reliable asset for the US Military for 70 years. It has benefited from upgrades and modifications, which have kept it useful in battle, peacetime, and humanitarian missions around the world. And this ultimate workhorse is still flying strong today.

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