The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-turboprop military transport aircraft originally designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for take-offs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a trooplift, medical evacuation and cargo aircraft. Landing on intact runways has been the bread and butter of the tactical airlift community for more than half a century. Known as a maximum-effort landing, the C-130 can work in and out of strips of land 3,000 feet long and 50 feet wide. For comparison, a similarly sized commercial aircraft uses a paved runway that is at least 6000 feet long and 150 feet wide. Propeller planes generally have a better acceleration/deceleration rate than similar jet planes. This, combined with a straight/conical wing instead of an arrow wing, and large blown flaps (as indicated by fooot) makes an aircraft capable of taking off and landing on very short runways. As of January 2014, Air Mobility Command, Air Force Materiel Command and the Air Force Research Laboratory were in the early stages of establishing requirements for the next-generation C-X[33] airlift program to replace the C-130 and C-17. The aircraft would be produced from the early 2030s to the 2040s. [34] For the A300/A310 and A330/A340, 45 m is the minimum runway width recommended by ICAO. In October 2010, the Air Force issued a Request for Capability Information (RFI) for the development of a new air carrier to replace the C-130. The new aircraft was to carry a 190% larger payload and take over the mission of the assembled vertical maneuver (MVM). The larger payload and mission would allow it to transport medium-weight armoured vehicles and unload them in locations without long runways.

Various options were considered, including new or improved fixed-wing designs, rotorcraft, tiltrotors or even an airship. The C-130 fleet of about 450 aircraft would be replaced by only 250 aircraft. [28] The Air Force had attempted to replace the C-130 with the advanced medium STOL transport project in the 1970s, resulting in the C-17 Globemaster III, which replaced the C-141 Starlifter. [29] Any idea of a soft landing is thrown out the window. The intention is to „plant” the wheels about 300 feet on the track. This means immediately moving from the approach position to the actual landing, instead of taking a slight incident posture and letting the aircraft float towards the runway. Landing a 130,000-pound aircraft on an improved 3,000-foot-long runway is not an easy task. The key to a maximum-force landing is the 400-foot-long „attack zone,” a space equivalent to about four aircraft lengths and characterized by Cere panels located 100 feet and 500 feet from the landing threshold.

Land in „the area” and you are golden. Land outside the area and it`s a mandatory ride. If you look carefully, you can see the Cere signs in each of the videos. The C-130J is the latest addition to the C-130 fleet and replaced the aging C-130E and some of the wedding C-130H. The C-130J features state-of-the-art technology that reduces labor, reduces operating and support costs, and delivers lifetime savings compared to previous C-130 models. Compared to the older C-130s, the J model climbs higher and higher, continues to fly at a higher cruising speed, and takes off and lands at shorter distances. The C-130J-30 is an expandable version that adds 15 feet to the fuselage and increases usable space in cargo space. The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for take-offs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a trooplift, medical evacuation and cargo aircraft. The multi-purpose airframe has found uses in other roles, including as a gunboat (AC-130), for air strikes, search and rescue operations, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, air-to-air refueling, maritime patrol, and aerial firefighting. It is now the most important tactical air carrier for many armed forces around the world. More than 40 variants of the Hercules, including civilian versions marketed as the Lockheed L-100, are used in more than 60 countries.

The new C-130J is also more capable than the old C-130H. The new Engines of the Model J each produce up to 4,637 shaft horsepower (although they are listed here with 4,705 hp), while the Engines of the Model H produce up to 4,590 hp each. The curb weight of Model J is 75,562 lbs and Model H is 75,800 lbs. With an unladen weight of 238 lbs and an increased power of at least 47 horsepower, as well as improved propellers, the J model offers better performance. The starting distance at 155,000 lbs is 3,127 feet for the J model versus 3,586 feet for the H model. The Model H can take off at 1,400 feet at 80,000 lbs (probably closer to weight in demonstrations), so the Model J can probably do even better. During the 5-week mission, the plane`s crews flew 92 missions and sprayed about 30,000 hectares with nearly 149,000 gallons of oil dispersant to break up the oil. The Deepwater Horizon mission was the first time the United States used the hydrocarbon dispersal capability of the 910th Airlift Wing – its only large-scale fixed-wing air spraying program – in an actual spill of national importance. [56] Air Force Reserve Command announced that 910 Airlift Wing received 910 Airlift Wing for its outstanding performance on September 28. He received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award from April 2010 to June 4, 2010. [57] Since 1992, two consecutive C-130 aircraft called Fat Albert have served as support aircraft for the U.S. Navy`s Blue Angels flight demonstration team.

The Fat Albert I was a TC-130G (151891), a former TACAMO aircraft of the US NAVY that served in fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VQ-3) before being transferred to blues,[49] while the Fat Albert II was a C-130T (164763). [50] Although Fat Albert supports a Navy squadron, it is operated by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and its crew consists exclusively of USMC personnel. Fat Albert participates in a few air shows with the team and performs overflights. In 2009, he also demonstrated his RATO (Rocket-Assisted Takeoff) abilities; These have come to an end due to the dwindling stockpile of missiles. [51] The RC-130 is a reconnaissance version. Only one example is used by the Air Force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as the aircraft was originally sold to the former Imperial Iranian Air Force. In the 1970s, Lockheed offered a C-130 variant with turbojet engines instead of turboprops, but the U.S. Air Force preferred takeoff performance from the existing aircraft. In the 1980s, the C-130 was to be replaced by the Advanced Medium STOL Transport project. The project was cancelled and the C-130 remained in production. Unit cost: C-130E, $11.9, C-130H, $30.1, C-130J, $75.5 (fiscal year 2017 Then dollars in millions) The Model A remained in service during the Vietnam War, where the aircraft assigned to the four squadrons of Naha AB, Okinawa, and one at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, provided Yeoman`s service, including conducting top-secret special operations such as the BLIND BAT FAC/Flare mission and the FACT SHEET flyer above the Laos and North Vietnam. The Model A was also made available to the Republic of Vietnam Air Force as part of the Vietnamization program at the end of the war and equipped three squadrons stationed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base.