The C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft is a rugged tactical airlifter that has been in continuous production since its introduction in the mid-1950s. Of the more than 2,200 C-130s delivered, there are still about 1600 in service in more than 65 countries. Over 70 different configurations have been built ranging from satellite retrieval and “Hurricane Hunters” to ski configured versions for landing in Antarctica.
Designed in the 1950s to be a military assault transport plane, the Hercules has been adapted to many other military roles including weather mapping, radar reconnaissance and fire fighting as well as there intended function of carrying troops into battle.
The Hercules came about after the start of the Korean war, the US military realized they needed a decent troop transport plane, this is when Lockheed were awarded the contract to build a plane to meet the needs of the US military. The design of the plane was a surprise to the public at the time as the 1950s saw the start of the jet age, most people expected a more aerodynamic shaped plane with swept back wings and jet engines. Instead the C-130 was a rather ugly design with straight wings on top of the fuselage and four propeller driven engines. Despite the looks the Hercules has certainly proved its design by how it performs, and has had some impressive achievements in its life like around 500 flights a day during desert storm and even landing on an aircraft carrier.
The Hercules has been continually upgraded over the years and has also been sold to more and more countries, some countries have either bought them new or even second hand from the US.
The C-130J is the newest-generation, incorporating an integrated digital avionics suite with head-up displays, new propulsion system and other major systems upgrades that reduce operating costs and crew size while offering significant performance improvements. To date the new C-130J holds 54 World Records for performance. C-130J customers include the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Denmark U. S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, Air National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard and U. S. Marine Corps.
The C-130J is currently being built to meet mission requirements for combat delivery, aerial refuelling, weather reconnaissance, search and rescue and electronic combat. The C-130J is available with a 40 foot cargo compartment while the new C-130J-30 comes with a longer 55 foot cargo compartment that carries with space for 30% more cargo or 40% more personnel.
While some European countries have used the C-130, France and Germany have also used a plane of their own design the Transell C-160, now many of the EU countries have asked airbus to create a new plane the A-400M to replace their fleets of the Hercules. With all new technology cockpits the new airbus A-400 may provide the Hercules with some serious competition.
