Earlier C-130s utilize the APQ-122 radar system. Additions to the cockpit include head-up displays (HUD) for both pilots.Īlong with the HUD additions that come with the C-130J, the avionics upgrades provide pilots the capability to airdrop in instrument conditions without the need for zone markers. Upgrades in the Super Hercules include new Rolls-Royce AE 2100 D3 turboprop engines with composite scimitar propellers, updated flight decks, avionics, and other systems. The latest version of the C-130, the C-130J Super Hercules, is a comprehensive update. The rear ramp also acted as a platform from which paratroopers can be launched, cargo can be airdropped, and tanks and vehicles can be low-level extracted. This loading ramp allowed for easy entrance of troops and paratroops as well as easy loading of palletized loads and vehicles. The YC-130 incorporated a hinged loading ramp at the rear fuselage, rather than side doors like on passenger airliners. Furthermore, these requirements needed to be met on a platform that could be flown, if needed, with one engine.įrom its inaugural flight on August 23, 1954, the YC-130 prototype was a success. In order to conduct paratroop drops, the aircraft would also need the ability to slow to 125 knots and still maintain altitude. It was also required to land and take off in tight spaces, even on rough, dirt strips. The Air Force also wanted the aircraft designed to haul large, bulky equipment, like artillery and tanks, over long distances. The General Operating Requirement (GOR) for a new transport consisted of an aircraft that could transport 92 passengers, 72 combat troops, or 64 paratroopers, depending on the mission profile. In 1951, the United States Air Force sought designs for a new heavy transport aircraft. Click to also read “9 Facts About the C-17 Globemaster III”ĭuring the Korean War, the existing piston-engine transports from the World War II era proved inadequate for then-modern warfare. The makes the Hercules a popular service tool for military, government, and civilian applications worldwide. It has been adapted to carry out assignments in an ever-changing environment and perform mission requirements as diverse as an aerial tanker, airborne hospital, space and missile operations, and even gunship. There are now over 40 models and variants of the C-130.
It is, however, a very versatile platform that has transformed over the years from its original mission of troop, cargo transport, and medical evacuation, to be an aircraft that can meet nearly any objective. In fact, if you compare maximum payloads of active fixed-wing transport aircraft you would find the C-130 to be fairly pedestrian. The Hercules is not the largest cargo aircraft employed by military services around the world. If you are searching for which aircraft typifies this success, look no further than the C-130 Hercules. But in the defense industry where technology is constantly evolving to save lives and win wars, any tool that can prove its longevity and necessity across multiple decades is an ideal picture of success. Sixty-one years is a long time to produce and sustain any product in any industry.
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