Lockheed Martin delivers 500th C-130J Super Hercules

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Lockheed Martin delivers 500th C-130J Super Hercules
By: Eric Brothers - Aerospace Mrg. & Design - 03-21-22
Re: https://www.aerospacemanufacturingan...uper-hercules/

Photo link: https://www.aerospacemanufacturingan...=414&mode=crop
Historic Super Herc operated by the West Virginia Air National Guard's 130th Airlift Wing.
Lockheed Martin photo by David Key

Lockheed Martin recently delivered its 500th C-130J Super Hercules airlifter. The Super Hercules (Lockheed Martin aircraft #5934) is a C-130J-30 aircraft assigned to the 130th Airlift Wing located at McLaughlin Air National Guard Base in Charleston, West Virginia. The 130th Airlift Wing is a longtime C-130 operator that is currently modernizing its legacy Hercules fleet with C-130Js.

The U.S. government operates the largest C-130J Super Hercules fleet in the world. This delivery represents the U.S. government's continued transition to the C-130J as the common platform across the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

"This delivery represents the thousands of people – past and present – that design, build, fly, maintain and support C-130Js around the world," said Rod McLean, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Air Mobility & Maritime Missions (AMMM) business line. "It is the people who are part of the C-130J operator, production, supplier, and industry partner communities who truly define the Super Hercules and helped the C-130J Program reach this monumental achievement."

The C-130J Super Hercules is the current production model of the C-130 Hercules. The airlift choice of 26 operators in 22 nations, the global C-130 fleet has surpassed more than 2 million flight hours and holds more than 54 world records.

There are 17 different mission configurations of the C-130J including transport (military and commercial), humanitarian aid delivery, aerial firefighting, natural disaster relief support, medevac, search and rescue, weather reconnaissance, and aerial refueling.

The C-130J-30 Super Hercules offers these enhancements compared to legacy models:
(Upgrades listed below):
* 30% more passengers and cargo
* 50% more CDS bundles
* 44% more paratroopers
* 30% crew reduction
* 14% more fuel efficient
* 20% improvement in payload/range capability
* Integrated defensive suite and 250kts ramp/door
* Automated maintenance fault reporting
* Digital avionics, dual HUD

Tags: Lockheed Martin & Military Aviation

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History note: It can be said without fear of contradiction that the C-130 Hercules is one of the most important aircraft in aviation history.
Re: https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us...0/history.html

The Birth of Hercules:

As the U.S. entered into the Korean War, the U.S. Air Force realized it did not have a true military transport capable of airlifting combat troops over medium distances and delivering them to short, austere airfields. To fill this need, the U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Command issued a specification in early 1951 for a new medium cargo transport.

The then-Lockheed Aircraft Corporation won the competition and was contracted to produce two prototype YC-130 aircraft on July 2, 1951. The first flight of YC-130 took place on Aug. 23, 1954, at Lockheed’s Burbank, California, plant. Its four turboprop engines enabled the YC-130 to take off in only 800 feet. In addition to its tremendous lift capability, the aircraft also proved to be far more maneuverable than expected while meeting or exceeding all of the other U.S. Air Force performance requirements.

The success of the prototypes led to a production contract. As the Burbank facility was at capacity, the entire C-130 program was moved to Lockheed’s facility—then known as Lockheed-Georgia Company—in Marietta, Ga. The first production C-130A, which was nearly identical to the prototypes, was flown for the first time at Marietta, Ga., on April 7, 1955. The C-130A featured four powerful Allison T56-A-lA turboprop engines, each delivering 3,750 horsepower and driving a three-bladed Curtiss-Wright electric-reversible propeller.

An early problem developed with the propeller pitch-changing mechanism that was corrected by adopting a hydraulic model. A four-bladed Hamilton-Standard propeller was adopted, which was just the first of many updates, modifications, material and equipment changes, and other improvements over six decades that keep the Hercules state-of-the-art.
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