Lockheed C-130 Hercules

Design

In 1951, after the Blockade of Berlin and the beginning of the War of Korea, the the United States want to modernize their fleet of conveyer made up of C-47 '' Skytrain '' and C-119 '' Flying Boxcar ''. The US Air Force lance thus a request for a transport aircraft of attack which can transport 64 parachutists, take off and land on rudimentary tracks, and to function with a turned off engine.

In 1952, USAF chooses the project of Lockheed baptized YC-130A and 2 prototype makes him build. The August 23rd 1954, the first flight takes place with Burbank in California and as of the December 9th 1956, the C-130A Hercules is brought into service within USAF.

The 1.500e plane is delivered at the beginning of March 1978. With this date, Lockheed delivered 998 Hercules to the American Armée, 433 at foreign governments and 69 lengthened civil versions L.100 with civil companies. The total of the hours of flight exceeds the 12 million

Versions

Under-versions of C-130 Hercules

YC-130 : Two prototypes with engines of the type T56-A-1 of 3 0250 ch and radar APS-42
C-130A: Version of initial series (216 specimens) with 4 T56A-1A or T56-A-9 of 3 750 ch and radar APN-59 which gives to the Hercules a more prominent nose

C-130D: Improvement of the C-130A arranged for the connections towards the bases of the Arctic , skis of 6,22 m (12 specimens)

C-130B: Second version of series (230 specimens) with 4 T56-A-7 of 4 050 ch. 470 km passable in more thanks to one additional tank

C-130E: Improvement of the C-130B with 2 external reservoirs and reinforcement of the aerofoil as well as brakes

C-130H: Third version of series equipped with T56-A-15 of 4 910 ch

C-130H-30: under-version of the lengthened C-130H of 4,57 m
C-130K or Hercules C.1 and C.3: C-130H with other engines, intended for the Royal Air Force

C-130J Hercules

Outside, the C-130J “Super Hercules” seems to be only one Hercules with new engines Rolls-Royce Allison AE2100 and curved propellers with 6 blades. It is however also equipped with a new cockpit reducing the number of pilots to two, and some other improvements. Appeared at the end of the years 1990, the C-130J was ordered by the the United States (185 specimens), the the United Kingdom, the Australia, the Denmark and the Italy. Other orders are awaited, this version beginning just its career. C-130J-30 is a lengthened under-version.

Commercial civil versions

The L-100 is a civil version of C-130 proposed by Lockheed.

Hercules C-130 was also used like Avion bomber of water up to two tragic accidents in 2000: one in California, one in Ardeche (common of Buzet, September 6th).

Specialized versions

JC-130: name given to the versions modified temporarily for tests
KC-130: Tanker
LC-130: Version equipped with skis for the United States Navy, driving T56-A-16 of 4 910 ch
LLC 130R: Version equipped with skis for the United States Navy and the the National Science Foundation
HC-130: versions of rescue used, according to the versions, by the units of rescue of pilots ejected of the United States Air Force and by the coastguards
NC-130B: Prototype of plane on takeoff and very short Landing. It has 2 engines moreover without propellers which compress air for the shutters and the control surface
RC-130: recognition
VC-130: versions of transport of important personalities
WC-130: versions of recognition weather

AC-130 Spectrum/Spooky

The AC-130 Specter is an apparatus of Close air support of the type Gunship, intended to provide a fire support for units engaged on the ground. Developed for the War of Vietnam, it also was used for the Grenade, with the Panama, in Somalia, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The characteristic of the planes “ gunships ” is to draw with guns in ports, i.e. weapons whose axis of shooting is perpendicular to the axis of flight of the plane. This provision allows:

to turn around the target without flying over it and thus without passing above its brought closer anti-aircraft defenses,
to use at the same time several weapons installed along the fuselage,
to draw in a precise and continuous way since it is enough to point the weapons then to follow a regular circular trajectory

Several “ Gunship S ” is based on the cell of C-130: the AC-130A/E/H Spectrum and the AC-130U Spooky . Only the versions H and U are still in service.

The AC-130H Specter is armed with two guns M61 Vulcan of 20 mm, a gun Bofors L60 of 40 mm and of a gun short M102 of 105 mm, which is the gun of larger gauge ever assembled on a plane. On the AC-130U Spooky , the Vulcan are replaced by a gun GAU-12/U Equalizer of 25 Misters.

The gun of 40mm Bofors as well as the rotary gun of 25mm of C-130 U will be replaced from here 2010 by two Bushmaster II of 30 mm if the tests in progress in 2007 occur well.

EC-130

Hercules was derived in several versions from airborne psychological warfare and electronic war, electronic recognition, headquarters. Two principal versions are currently in service in the United States Air Force:

the EC-130J Commando Solo III (which replaces since 2006 the EC-130E Commando Solo II , before called Coronet Solo , Stealing Solo , Commando Solo and finally Commando Solo II ), charged with the psychological warfare. It is equipped to diffuse emissions Radio AM, FM, HF and TV.
the EC-130H Compass Cal has the role of scrambling the unfavourable communications, which they are vocal or of the data transmissions.

To these apparatuses are added the EC-130E Senior Hunter of detection of radio transmissions and the C-130H Scathe View of monitoring of the battle field.

Other apparatuses were withdrawn from the service:

the C-130A-II, C-130B-II and C-130E-II were versions of electronic recognition developped at the point starting from end of the year 50. A C-130A-II was cut down by Soviet air defense in 1958, killing its 17 team members. Alternative C-130E-II was in particular used in the corridor of Berlin during the cold war.
EC-130E ABCCC ( Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center , “airborne center of command and control of the battle field”, sometimes shortened in ABC ³), equipped with a module of command USC-15 to ensure the role of airborne headquarters.
the EC-130E, single specimen used by the US Coast Guard for the calibration of navigation systems LORAN.
EC-130G and EC-130Q TACAMO (“ Take Charges and Move Out ”) of the US Navy, charged to ensure the communications ELF with the submerged submarines. These apparatuses were replaced by of Boeing E-6 Mercury.

MC-130

The MC-130 is an apparatus intended for the American special forces. There exist two principal series of MC-130:

the MC-130E Combat Heel and MC-130H Combat Heel II , charged to infiltrate, supply and exfiltrer teams of in-depth special forces of the enemy territory, generally while flying at low altitude, of night and/or by bad weather. With 1965 with 1996, the Combat Heel were equipped with the spectacular system STAR ( surface-to-air recovery system ) of engineer Fulton, making it possible to recover men on the ground without the plane not having to land. MC-130W recently entered in service because of the many present needs for the American special forces.
the MC-130P Combat Shadow , charged to supply the helicopters of special forces infiltrating or exfiltrant teams of special forces, generally in-depth of the enemy territory, while flying at low altitude, of night and/or by bad weather. Possibly, the MC-130P can be used like a Combat Heel to parachute men or material.

Engagements

All conflicts since the years 1960 by almost all the armies which are equipped with it. Let us quote in particular the Guerre of Vietnam, the Guerre of the Falklands, the Israeli-Arab wars, the Guerre of the Gulf and the war in Bosnia.

Among the most famous uses, four Hercules Israelis were employed in the Raid of Entebbe in 1976.

In France, the Squadron of transport 2/61 Franche-Comté of the Air base 123 Orleans-Bricy, in particular employed its C-130 for the transport of French troops (units of the Foreign legion and troops parachutists of marines) at the time of the war in Bosnia, for the way of Orleans to Split and Zagreb. The end of the way until Sarajevo was done in C-160 Transall. Orleans-Bricy was one of the airports besides where was practiced the drive known as " Sarajevo" landing; consisting of an approach with high-altitude and high angle of descent in order to be less vulnerable to the shootings of snipers.

Country users

References

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