View source for Lockheed C-130 Hercules

{{short description|American military transport aircraft}}
{{Redirect|Hercules aircraft|other aircraft called "Hercules"|Hercules (disambiguation)#Vehicles}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
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{{Infobox aircraft
| name = C-130 Hercules
| image = Lockheed C-130 Hercules.jpg
| caption = A United States Air Force C-130E
| alt = Straight-wing, four-engine turboprop-driven aircraft overflying water
| type = [[Tactical airlifter]]
| national_origin = United States
| manufacturer = {{ubl|[[Lockheed Corporation]] |[[Lockheed Martin]]}}
| designer = 
| first_flight = {{Start date and age|1954|08|23}}
| introduction = December 1956<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/c130/history.html |website=lockeedmartin.com |publisher=Lockheed Martin |title=Hercules History |date=30 April 2018 |access-date=6 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406105919/https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/c130/history.html |archive-date=6 April 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| retired = 
| status = In service
| primary_user = [[United States Air Force]]<!--Limit one (1) primary user. Top 4 users listed in 'primary user' and 'more users' fields based in-service fleet numbers. -->
| more_users = {{ubl|[[Royal Canadian Air Force]] |[[United States Coast Guard]] |[[Royal Air Force]] (historical)}} <!-- Only THREE (3) "more users" here (four users total) by fleet size. Users of C-130 variants with their own articles should be listed there, not here. See Operators section for other operators. -->
| produced = 1954–present
| number_built = 2,500+ as of 2015<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lockheedmartin.com/us/news/features/2015/C130FamilyTies.html |title=Family Ties: Three Generations Contribute to Hercules Legacy |access-date=8 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709115647/http://lockheedmartin.com/us/news/features/2015/C130FamilyTies.html |archive-date=9 July 2015 |url-status=dead|publisher=Lockheed Martin}}</ref>
| developed_from = 
| variants = {{ubli|[[Lockheed AC-130]]| [[Lockheed DC-130]] |[[Lockheed EC-130]]|[[Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call]] |[[Lockheed HC-130]] |[[Lockheed Martin KC-130]] |[[Lockheed LC-130]] |[[Lockheed MC-130]] |[[Lockheed RC-130 Hercules|Lockheed RC-130]]|[[Lockheed WC-130]] |[[Lockheed L-100 Hercules]] |[[Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules]]}}
| developed_into = 
}}

The '''Lockheed C-130 Hercules''' is an American four-engine [[turboprop]] [[military transport aircraft]] designed and built by [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] (now [[Lockheed Martin]]). Capable of using unprepared [[runway]]s for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, [[Medical evacuation|medevac]], and [[Cargo aircraft|cargo transport aircraft]]. The versatile [[airframe]] has found uses in other roles, including as a [[gunship]] ([[AC-130]]), for [[airborne infantry|airborne assault]], [[search and rescue]], scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, [[aerial refueling]], [[maritime patrol]], and [[aerial firefighting]]. It is now the main [[tactical airlift]]er for many military forces worldwide. More than 40 variants of the Hercules, including civilian versions marketed as the [[Lockheed L-100]], operate in more than 60 nations.

The C-130 entered service with the U.S. in 1956, followed by Australia and many other nations. During its years of service, the Hercules has participated in numerous military, civilian and [[humanitarian aid]] operations. In 2007, the transport became the fifth aircraft{{refn|After the [[English Electric Canberra]], [[B-52 Stratofortress]], [[Tupolev Tu-95]], and [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker|KC-135 Stratotanker]].|group= N}} to mark 50 years of continuous service with its original primary customer, which for the C-130 is the [[United States Air Force]] (USAF). The C-130 is the longest continuously produced military aircraft, having achieved 70 years of production in 2024.<ref name="q550">{{cite web | last=Roza | first=David | title='Workhorse of the Air' C-130 Marks 70 Years Since First Flight | website=Air & Space Forces Magazine | date=2024-08-23 | url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/c-130-hercules-70-years-first-flight/ | access-date=2024-08-25}}</ref>

==Design and development==
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2014}}

===Background and requirements===
The [[Korean War]] showed that [[World War II]]-era [[Reciprocating engine|piston-engine]] transports—[[Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar]]s, [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]]s and [[Curtiss C-46 Commando]]s—were no longer adequate. On 2 February 1951, the [[United States Air Force]] issued a General Operating Requirement (GOR) for a new transport to [[Boeing]], [[Douglas Aircraft|Douglas]], [[Fairchild Aircraft|Fairchild]], [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]], [[Glenn L. Martin Company|Martin]], [[Chase Aircraft]], [[North American Aviation|North American]], [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop]], and Airlifts Inc.

The new transport would have a capacity of 92 passengers, 72 combat troops or 64 [[paratroopers]] in a cargo compartment that was approximately {{cvt|41|ft}} long, {{cvt|9|ft}} high, and {{cvt|10|ft}} wide. Unlike transports derived from passenger airliners, it was to be designed specifically as a combat transport with loading from a hinged loading ramp at the rear of the fuselage. A notable advance for large aircraft was the introduction of a [[turboprop]] powerplant, the [[Allison T56]] which was developed for the C-130. It gave the aircraft greater range than a [[turbojet]] engine as it used less fuel.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=Today in History – April 21, 1964 – Military version of the C-130 finally takes flight |url=https://supersabresociety.com/this_time_in_history/today-in-history-april-21-1964-military-version-of-the-c-130-finally-takes-flight/ |access-date=2022-11-03 |website=Super Sabre Society |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="auto2">{{cite journal |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20050019274 |website= Nasa.gov |title= An Investigation in the Ames 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel of a YT-56A Turboprop Engine Incorporating a Decoupler and a Controlled-Feathering Device |date= 9 September 1954 |last1= Rogallo |first1= Vernon L. |last2= Yaggy |first2= Paul F. |last3= McCloud |first3= John L.}}</ref> Turboprop engines also produced much more power for their weight than piston engines. However, the turboprop configuration chosen for the T56, with the propeller connected to the compressor, had the potential to cause structural failure of the aircraft if an engine failed. Safety devices had to be incorporated to reduce the excessive drag from a windmilling propeller.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto2"/>

===Design phase===
The Hercules resembles a larger, four-engine version of the [[Fairchild C-123 Provider]] with a similar wing and cargo ramp layout. The C-123 had evolved from the [[Chase XCG-20]] Avitruc first flown in 1950.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Fairchild C-123K Provider |url=https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196059/fairchild-c-123k-provider/ |access-date=2024-01-23 |website=National Museum of the United States Air Force™ |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>Gunston 1980, p.170.</ref> The [[Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter]] had rear ramps, which made it possible to drive vehicles onto the airplane (also possible with the forward ramp on a [[Douglas C-124 Globemaster II|C-124]]). The ramp on the Hercules was also used to airdrop cargo, which included a [[low-altitude parachute-extraction system]] for [[M551 Sheridan|Sheridan tanks]] and even dropping large improvised "[[BLU-82|daisy cutter]]" bombs. The new Lockheed cargo plane had a range of {{convert|1100|nmi|mi km|sigfig=3|abbr=on}} and it could operate from short and unprepared strips.

Fairchild, North American, Martin, and Northrop declined to participate. The remaining five companies tendered a total of ten designs: Lockheed two, Boeing one, Chase three, Douglas three, and Airlifts Inc. one. The contest was a close affair between the lighter of the two Lockheed (preliminary project designation L-206) proposals and a four-turboprop Douglas design.

The Lockheed design team was led by [[Willis Hawkins]], starting with a 130-page proposal for the ''Lockheed L-206''.<ref name="rhodes">{{cite magazine |surname=Rhodes |given=Jeff |title=Willis Hawkins and the genesis of the Hercules |magazine=Code One Magazine |volume=19 |issue=3 |date=Third Quarter 2004 |url=https://www.codeonemagazine.com/article.html?item_id=143 |pages=[https://issuu.com/aviationlive/docs/2004-3/18 16]–21}}</ref> [[Hall Hibbard]], Lockheed vice president and chief engineer, saw the proposal and directed it to [[Kelly Johnson (engineer)|Kelly Johnson]], who did not care for the low-speed, unarmed aircraft, and remarked, "If you sign that letter, you will destroy the Lockheed Company."<ref name="rhodes"/> Both Hibbard and Johnson signed the proposal and the company won the contract for the now-designated Model 82 on 2 July 1951.<ref name="boyne">Boyne, Walter J. ''Beyond the Horizons: The Lockheed Story.'' New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. {{ISBN|978-0-312-19237-2}}.</ref>

[[File:Lockheed C-130 Hercules flight deck.jpg|thumb|left|A C-130H Hercules flight deck. Aircraft displayed at the [[Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection]]]]
The first flight of the ''YC-130'' [[prototype]] was made on 23 August 1954 from the [[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]] plant in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]], California. The aircraft, [[United States military aircraft serials|serial number]] ''53-3397'', was the second prototype, but the first of the two to fly. The YC-130 was piloted by Stanley Beltz and Roy Wimmer on its 61-minute flight to [[Edwards Air Force Base]]; [[Jack Real]] and Dick Stanton served as flight engineers. Kelly Johnson flew chase in a [[Lockheed P2V Neptune]].<ref name="dabney">Dabney, Joseph E. A. "Mating of the Jeep, the Truck, and the Airplane." ''lockheedmartin.com,'' 2004. Excerpted from ''HERK: Hero of the Skies'' in Lockheed Martin Service News, Lockheed Martin Air Mobility Support '' Volume 29, Issue 2, p. 3.</ref>

After the two prototypes were completed, production began in [[Marietta, Georgia]], where over 2,300 C-130s have been built through 2009.<ref>Olausson 2009, p. 129.</ref>

The initial production model, the ''C-130A'', was powered by [[Allison T56]]-A-9 turboprops with three-blade [[Propeller (aircraft)|propellers]] and originally equipped with the blunt nose of the prototypes. Deliveries began in December 1956, continuing until the introduction of the ''C-130B'' model in 1959. Some A-models were equipped with [[ski]]s and re-designated ''C-130D''. As the C-130A became operational with [[Tactical Air Command]] (TAC), the C-130's lack of range became apparent and additional fuel capacity was added with wing pylon-mounted tanks outboard of the engines; this added {{convert|6,000|lb|kg}} of fuel capacity for a total capacity of {{convert|40,000|lb|kg}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/docs/c-130-bar.htm |website= Fas.org |title= C-130 Broad Area Review}}</ref>

===Improved versions===
[[File:C-130E Hercules dropping flares.jpg|thumb|A [[Michigan Air National Guard]] C-130E dispatches its flares during a low-level training mission]]
[[File:One U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft taxis as another takes off from Yeo Ju airstrip during the joint U.S.-South Korean Exercise Team Spirit '84 DF-ST-84-11567.jpg|thumb|Two C-130 Hercules in South Korea, 1984]]
[[File:A C-130 Hercules from the 36th Airlift Squadron conducts a night flight mission over Yokota Air Base (26385249024).jpg|thumb|A C-130 conducts a night flight mission over [[Yokota Air Base]]]]

The C-130B model was developed to complement the A-models that had previously been delivered, and incorporated new features, particularly increased fuel capacity in the form of auxiliary tanks built into the center wing section and an AC electrical system. Four-bladed [[Hamilton Standard]] propellers replaced the Aero Products' three-blade propellers that distinguished the earlier A-models. The C-130B had [[aileron]]s operated by hydraulic pressure that was increased from {{convert|2050|to|3000|psi|MPa|abbr=on|lk=on}}, as well as uprated engines and four-blade propellers that were standard until the J-model.

The B model was originally intended to have "blown controls", a system that blows high-pressure air over the control surfaces to improve their effectiveness during slow flight. It was tested on an NC-130B prototype aircraft with a pair of T-56 turbines providing high-pressure air through a duct system to the control surfaces and flaps during landing. This greatly reduced landing speed to just 63 knots and cut landing distance in half. The system never entered service because it did not improve takeoff performance by the same margin, making the landing performance pointless if the aircraft could not also take off from where it had landed.<ref>Memoirs of an aeronautical engineer: flight testing at Ames Research Center. Seth B. Anderson, United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. History Office, Ames Research Center. p. 29</ref>

An electronic reconnaissance variant of the C-130B was designated C-130B-II. A total of 13 aircraft were converted. The C-130B-II was distinguished by its false external wing fuel tanks, which were disguised signals intelligence (SIGINT) receiver antennas. These pods were slightly larger than the standard wing tanks found on other C-130Bs. Most aircraft featured a swept blade antenna on the upper fuselage, as well as extra wire antennas between the vertical fin and upper fuselage not found on other C-130s. Radio call numbers on the tail of these aircraft were regularly changed to confuse observers and disguise their true mission.

The extended-range ''C-130E'' model entered service in 1962 after it was developed as an interim long-range transport for the Military Air Transport Service. Essentially a B-model, the new designation was the result of the installation of {{convert|1,360|USgal|L|abbr=off|lk=in}} ''Sargent Fletcher'' external fuel tanks under each wing's midsection and more powerful [[Allison Engine Company|Allison]] T56-A-7A turboprops. The hydraulic boost pressure to the [[aileron]]s was reduced back to {{convert|2050|psi|MPa|abbr=on}} as a consequence of the external tanks' weight in the middle of the wingspan. The E model also featured structural improvements, [[avionics]] upgrades, and a higher gross weight. Australia took delivery of 12 C130E Hercules during 1966–67 to supplement the 12 C-130A models already in service with the RAAF. Sweden and Spain fly the TP-84T version of the C-130E fitted for aerial refueling capability.

The ''KC-130'' [[Tanker (aircraft)|tankers]], originally ''C-130F'' procured for the [[United States Marine Corps|US Marine Corps]] (USMC) in 1958 (under the designation ''GV-1'') are equipped with a removable {{convert|3,600|USgal|L}} [[stainless steel]] [[fuel tank]] carried inside the cargo compartment. The two wing-mounted hose and drogue aerial refueling pods each transfer up to {{convert|300|USgal/min|L/min}} to two aircraft simultaneously, allowing for rapid cycle times of multiple-receiver aircraft formations, (a typical tanker formation of four aircraft in less than 30 minutes). The [[United States Navy|US Navy]]'s ''C-130G'' has increased structural strength allowing higher gross weight operation.

===Further developments===
[[File:raf.hercules.c-130k.c3.arp.jpg|thumb|A [[Royal Air Force]] C-130K (C.3)]]

The ''C-130H'' model has updated Allison T56-A-15 turboprops, a redesigned outer [[wing]], updated avionics, and other minor improvements. Later ''H'' models had a new, fatigue-life-improved, center wing that was retrofitted to many earlier H-models. For structural reasons, some models are required to land with reduced amounts of fuel when carrying heavy cargo, reducing usable range.<ref>Cassidy, J. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20160223035513/http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA391744 C-130 Transportability of Army Vehicles]" p. 3. ''[[Defense Technical Information Center]]'', 2001</ref>

The H model remains in widespread use with the [[United States Air Force]] (USAF) and many foreign air forces. Initial deliveries began in 1964 (to the [[Royal New Zealand Air Force|RNZAF]]), remaining in production until 1996. An improved C-130H was introduced in 1974, with Australia purchasing 12 of the type in 1978 to replace the original 12 C-130A models, which had first entered [[Royal Australian Air Force]] (RAAF) service in 1958. The U.S. Coast Guard employs the HC-130H for long-range search and rescue, drug interdiction, illegal migrant patrols, homeland security, and logistics.

C-130H models produced from 1992 to 1996 were designated as C-130H3 by the USAF, with the "3" denoting the third variation in design for the H series. Improvements included [[ring laser gyro]]s for the [[Inertial guidance system|INU]]s, GPS receivers, a partial [[glass cockpit]] (ADI and HSI instruments), a more capable APN-241 color radar, [[night vision device]] compatible instrument lighting, and an integrated radar and missile warning system. The electrical system upgrade included Generator Control Units (GCU) and Bus Switching units (BSU) to provide stable power to the more sensitive upgraded components.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Petrescu |first1=Relly Victoria |last2=Petrescu |first2=Florian Ion |title=Lockheed Martin |date=2013 |publisher=Books on Demand GmBH, Norderstedt |location=Germany |isbn=978-3-8482-6053-9 |page=11 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=49QmlNcqlUAC&pg=PA11}}</ref>

The equivalent model for export to the UK is the ''C-130K'', known by the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) as the ''Hercules C.1''. The ''C-130H-30'' (''Hercules C.3'' in RAF service) is a stretched version of the original Hercules, achieved by inserting a {{convert|100|in|m|abbr=on}} plug aft of the cockpit and an {{convert|80|in|m|abbr=on}} plug at the rear of the fuselage. A single C-130K was purchased by the [[Met Office]] for use by its Meteorological Research Flight, where it was classified as the ''Hercules W.2''. This aircraft was heavily modified, with its most prominent feature being the long red and white striped atmospheric probe on the nose and the move of the weather radar into a pod above the forward fuselage. This aircraft, named ''[[Snoopy]]'', was withdrawn in 2001 and was then modified by [[Marshall Aerospace|Marshall of Cambridge Aerospace]] as a flight testbed for the [[A400M]] turbine engine, the [[TP400]]. The C-130K is used by the [[RAF Falcons]] for parachute drops. Three C-130Ks (Hercules C Mk.1P) were upgraded and sold to the Austrian Air Force in 2002.<ref>[http://www.doppeladler.com/oebh/luftfahrzeuge/c130.htm "C-130K in the Austrian Air Force"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080605224813/http://www.doppeladler.com/oebh/luftfahrzeuge/c130.htm |date=5 June 2008}} ''doppeladler.com''. Retrieved 2 October 2010.</ref>

===Enhanced models===
[[File:HC-130P-N refuels HH-60G.jpg|thumb|A USAF HC-130P refuels a [[HH-60G Pavehawk]] helicopter]]

The ''[[Lockheed MC-130|MC-130E Combat Talon]]'' was developed for the USAF during the [[Vietnam War]] to support [[special operations]] missions in Southeast Asia, and led to both the ''[[Lockheed MC-130|MC-130H Combat Talon II]]'' as well as a family of other special missions aircraft. 37 of the earliest models currently operating with the [[Air Force Special Operations Command]] (AFSOC) are scheduled to be replaced by new-production MC-130J versions. The [[EC-130 Commando Solo]] is another special missions variant within AFSOC, albeit operated solely by an AFSOC-gained wing in the [[Pennsylvania Air National Guard]], and is a psychological operations/information operations (PSYOP/IO) platform equipped as an aerial radio station and television stations able to transmit messaging over commercial frequencies. Other versions of the [[Lockheed EC-130|EC-130]], most notably the [[EC-130H Compass Call]], are also special variants, but are assigned to the [[Air Combat Command]] (ACC). The [[Lockheed AC-130|AC-130 gunship]] was first developed during the [[Vietnam War]] to provide [[close air support]] and other [[ground-attack aircraft|ground-attack]] duties.

The ''[[Lockheed HC-130|HC-130]]'' is a family of long-range search and rescue variants used by the USAF and the U.S. Coast Guard. Equipped for the deep deployment of [[Air Force Pararescue|Pararescuemen]] (PJs), survival equipment, and (in the case of USAF versions) aerial refueling of combat rescue helicopters, HC-130s are usually the on-scene command aircraft for combat SAR missions (USAF only) and non-combat SAR (USAF and USCG). Early USAF versions were also equipped with the [[Fulton surface-to-air recovery system]], designed to pull a person off the ground using a wire strung from a helium balloon. The John Wayne movie ''[[The Green Berets (film)|The Green Berets]]'' features its use. The Fulton system was later removed when aerial refueling of helicopters proved safer and more versatile. The movie ''[[The Perfect Storm (film)|The Perfect Storm]]'' depicts a real-life SAR mission involving aerial refueling of a [[New York Air National Guard]] [[HH-60 Pave Hawk|HH-60G]] by a New York Air National Guard HC-130P.

The ''C-130R'' and ''C-130T'' are U.S. Navy and USMC models, both equipped with underwing external fuel tanks. The USN C-130T is similar but has additional avionics improvements. In both models, aircraft are equipped with Allison T56-A-16 engines. The USMC versions are designated ''KC-130R'' or ''KC-130T'' when equipped with underwing refueling pods and pylons and are fully [[Night vision device|night vision]] system compatible.

The [[Lockheed RC-130 Hercules|RC-130]] is a [[Surveillance aircraft|reconnaissance]] version developed during the Cold War. Sometimes called "ferret" aircraft, these planes were initially retrofitted standard C-130s.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/13/2002761784/-1/-1/0/DEDICATION-SACRIFICE.PDF|title= Dedication and Sacrifice: National Aerial Reconnaissance During the Cold War|publisher=Center for Cryptologic History, National Security Agency|page=2|access-date=21 June 2024}}</ref>

The ''[[Lockheed L-100 Hercules|Lockheed L-100 (L-382)]]'' is a civilian variant, equivalent to a C-130E model without military equipment. The L-100 also has two stretched versions.

===Next generation===
{{main|Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules}}

In the 1970s, Lockheed proposed a C-130 variant with [[turbofan]] engines rather than turboprops, but the U.S. Air Force preferred the takeoff performance of the existing aircraft. In the 1980s, the C-130 was intended to be replaced by the [[Advanced Medium STOL Transport]] project. The project was canceled and the C-130 has remained in production.

Building on lessons learned, Lockheed Martin modified a commercial variant of the C-130 into a High Technology Test Bed (HTTB). This test aircraft set numerous short takeoff and landing performance records and significantly expanded the database for future derivatives of the C-130.<ref>[http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/C130.html NASA and Lockheed Martin Partners In C-130 Technology] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614010311/http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/factsheets/C130.html |date=14 June 2013}} Retrieved 21 May 2013.</ref> Modifications made to the HTTB included extended chord ailerons, a long chord rudder, fast-acting double-slotted trailing edge flaps, a high-camber wing leading edge extension, a larger dorsal fin and dorsal fins, the addition of three spoiler panels to each wing upper surface, a long-stroke main and nose landing gear system, and changes to the flight controls and a change from direct mechanical linkages assisted by hydraulic boost, to fully powered controls, in which the mechanical linkages from the flight station controls operated only the hydraulic control valves of the appropriate boost unit.<ref>[http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/aero/documents/global-sustainment/product-support/Service-News/V12N3.pdf The High Technology Test Bed] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123150753/http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/aero/documents/global-sustainment/product-support/Service-News/V12N3.pdf |date=23 January 2013}} Lockheed Service News Vol. 12 No. 3, September 1985. Retrieved 21 May 2013.</ref>

The HTTB first flew on 19 June 1984, with civil registration of N130X. After demonstrating many new technologies, some of which were applied to the C-130J, the HTTB was lost in a fatal accident on 3 February 1993, at [[Dobbins Air Reserve Base]], in Marietta, Georgia.<ref>{{cite book |last=Norton |first=Bill |title=STOL Progenitors: The Technology Path to a Large STOL Aircraft and the C-17A |year=2002 |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |location=Reston, Virginia |isbn=1-56347-538-3}}</ref> The crash was attributed to disengagement of the rudder fly-by-wire flight control system, resulting in a total loss of rudder control capability while conducting ground minimum control speed tests (Vmcg). The disengagement was a result of the inadequate design of the rudder's integrated actuator package by its manufacturer; the operator's insufficient system safety review failed to consider the consequences of the inadequate design to all operating regimes. A factor that contributed to the accident was the flight crew's lack of engineering flight test training.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19930203-1 ASN Aircraft Accident] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527093323/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19930203-1 |date=27 May 2013}} Retrieved 21 May 2013.</ref>

In the 1990s, the improved [[C-130J Super Hercules]] was developed by Lockheed (later Lockheed Martin). This model is the newest version and the only model in production. Externally similar to the classic Hercules in general appearance, the J model has new turboprop engines, six-bladed propellers, digital avionics, and other new systems.<ref name="DODAppropriations1995">{{cite report |author=United States House Committee on Appropriations |author-link=United States House Committee on Appropriations |title=Department of Defense appropriations for 1995, part 3 |section=C-130 aircraft |section-url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.31210014044646?urlappend=%3Bseq=495 |pages=489–491 |hdl=2027/uc1.31210014044646 |isbn=0-16-045949-4 |year=1994 |oclc=1097431953}}</ref>

===Upgrades and changes===
[[File:Lockheed L-382 C-130H-LM Hercules (USAF sn 92-1532, cn 382-5328) (8-26-2023).jpg|thumb|C-130H with eight-bladed NP2000 propellers]]
In 2000, Boeing was awarded a {{US$|1.4 billion}} contract to develop an Avionics Modernization Program kit for the C-130. The program was beset with delays and cost overruns until project restructuring in 2007.<ref name="fg_c130amp">Trimble, Stephen. [http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/06/24/343673/boeing-outlines-c-130h-and-kc-10-cockpit-upgrades.html "Boeing outlines C-130H and KC-10 cockpit upgrades"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628162446/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/06/24/343673/boeing-outlines-c-130h-and-kc-10-cockpit-upgrades.html |date=28 June 2010}} ''[[Flightglobal]].'' Retrieved: 2 October 2010.</ref> In September 2009, it was reported that the planned Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) upgrade to the older C-130s would be dropped to provide more funds for the F-35, CV-22 and airborne tanker replacement programs.<ref>Capaccio, Tony. [https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aEiJr36oaC7w "Air Force Would Cancel Boeing C-130 Upgrade, 15 Other Programs"]. ''Bloomberg'', 2 September 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2010.</ref> However, in June 2010, [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] approved funding for the initial production of the AMP upgrade kits.<ref>Wall, Robert. [http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/asd/2010/06/25/01.xml&headline=Pentagon%20Approves%20C-130%20AMP%20Production&channel=defense "Pentagon Approves C-130 AMP Production"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921171443/http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news%2Fasd%2F2010%2F06%2F25%2F01.xml&headline=Pentagon%20Approves%20C-130%20AMP%20Production&channel=defense |date=21 September 2011}} ''Aviation Week'', 25 June 2010.</ref><ref>[http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1275 "Boeing C-130 Avionics Modernization Program to Enter Production"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007213747/http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1275 |date=7 October 2011}} Boeing, 24 June 2010.</ref> Under the terms of this agreement, the USAF has cleared Boeing to begin [[Low rate initial production|low-rate initial production]] (LRIP) for the C-130 AMP. A total of 198 aircraft are expected to feature the AMP upgrade. The current cost per aircraft is {{US$|14 million}}, although Boeing expects that this price will drop to US$7&nbsp;million for the 69th aircraft.<ref name="fg_c130amp"/>

In the 2000s, Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Air Force began outfitting and retrofitting C-130s with the eight-blade [[UTC Aerospace Systems]] NP2000 propellers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/115079/engineers-testing-eight-blade-prop-for-c-130/|title=AF.MIL|work=U.S. Air Force |date=4 November 2010 |access-date=11 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818115316/http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/115079/engineers-testing-eight-blade-prop-for-c-130.aspx|archive-date=18 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> An engine enhancement program saving fuel and providing lower temperatures in the T56 engine has been approved, and the US Air Force expects to save $2&nbsp;billion (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=2000000000|start_year=2013}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) and extend the fleet life.<ref>"[http://www.aero-news.net/subscribe.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=95b16316-e19c-47eb-8ba7-0048908e816f NOAA 'Hurricane Hunters' First To Get T56 Series 3.5 Engine Enhancement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203131427/http://www.aero-news.net/subscribe.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=95b16316-e19c-47eb-8ba7-0048908e816f |date=3 December 2013}}" ''Aero News'', 14 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.</ref>

In 2021, the Air Force Research Laboratory demonstrated the [[Rapid Dragon]] system which transforms the C-130 into a lethal strike platform capable of launching 12 [[AGM-158 JASSM|JASSM-ER]] with 500&nbsp;kg warheads from a standoff distance of {{cvt|925|km|mi}}. Future anticipated improvements support includes support for [[Joint Direct Attack Munition#JDAM Extended Range|JDAM-ER]], mine laying, drone dispersal as well as improved standoff range when {{cvt|1900|km|mi}} JASSM-XR become available in 2024.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 16, 2021 |title=Rapid Dragon's first live fire test of a Palletized Weapon System deployed from a cargo aircraft destroys target |magazine=Air Force Material Command |ref={{SfnRef|Air Force Material Command release|2021}} |publisher=Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs |url= https://www.afmc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2879257/rapid-dragons-first-live-fire-test-of-a-palletized-weapon-system-deployed-from/|access-date=2022-07-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Host |first1=Pat |date=October 1, 2021 |title=US AFRL plans Rapid Dragon palletized munitions experiments with additional weapons |work=Janes|url=https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/us-afrl-plans-rapid-dragon-palletised-munitions-experiments-with-additional-weapons |access-date=2022-07-23}}</ref>

===Replacement===
In October 2010, the U.S. Air Force released a capability request for information (CRFI) for the development of a new airlifter to replace the C-130. The new aircraft was to carry a 190% greater payload and assume the mission of mounted vertical maneuver (MVM). The greater payload and mission would enable it to carry medium-weight armored vehicles and unload them at locations without long runways. Various options were under consideration, including new or upgraded fixed-wing designs, rotorcraft, [[tiltrotor]]s, or even an [[airship]]. The C-130 fleet of around 450 planes would be replaced by only 250 aircraft.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150717161455/http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2010/10/usaf-asks-industry-to-answer-c/ USAF asks industry to answer C-130 replacement questions] – ''FlightGlobal'', 22 October 2010</ref> The Air Force had attempted to replace the C-130 in the 1970s through the [[Advanced Medium STOL Transport]] project, which resulted in the [[C-17 Globemaster III]] that instead replaced the [[C-141 Starlifter]].<ref name="speedagile">[https://web.archive.org/web/20150413115830/http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2011/09/images-lockheeds-stealth-c-130/ Lockheed's stealth C-130 successor revealed] – ''FlightGlobal'', 13 September 2011</ref>

The [[Air Force Research Laboratory]] funded Lockheed Martin and Boeing demonstrators for the ''Speed Agile'' concept, which had the goal of making a STOL aircraft that could take off and land at speeds as low as {{convert|70|kn|abbr=on}} on airfields less than {{convert|2,000|ft|m|abbr=on}} long and cruise at Mach 0.8-plus. Boeing's design used upper-surface blowing from embedded engines on the inboard wing and blown flaps for circulation control on the outboard wing. Lockheed's design also used blown flaps outboard, but inboard used patented reversing ejector nozzles.<ref name="auto1">[http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post:4ed2785f-832c-4f7f-8a7b-1d820cb2b07a Fast STOL – Lockheed's Speed Agile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203023534/http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post:4ed2785f-832c-4f7f-8a7b-1d820cb2b07a |date=3 February 2014}} – Aviationweek.com, 15 October 2010</ref>

Boeing's design completed over 2,000 hours of wind tunnel tests in late 2009. It was a 5 percent-scale model of a narrow body design with a {{convert|55000|lb|kg|abbr=on}} payload. When the AFRL increased the payload requirement to {{convert|65000|lb|kg|abbr=on}}, they tested a 5 percent-scale model of a widebody design with a {{convert|303000|lb|kg|abbr=on}} take-off gross weight and an "[[A400M]]-size" {{convert|158|in|m|abbr=on}} wide cargo box. It would be powered by four [[IAE V2500|IAE V2533]] turbofans.<ref name="auto1"/>

In August 2011, the AFRL released pictures of the Lockheed Speed Agile concept demonstrator. A 23% scale model went through wind tunnel tests to demonstrate its hybrid powered lift, which combined a low drag airframe with simple mechanical assembly to reduce weight and improve aerodynamics. The model had four engines, including two [[Williams FJ44]] turbofans.<ref name="speedagile"/><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20131127162334/http://defensetech.org/2011/09/15/lockheeds-new-stol-airlifter-design/ Lockheed's New STOL Airlifter Design]}} – Defensetech.org, 15 September 2011</ref> On 26 March 2013, Boeing was granted a patent for its swept-wing powered lift aircraft.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141014212713/http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/the-dewline/2013/04/boeing-awarded-patent-speed-ag/ Boeing awarded patent for Speed Agile stealth transport concept] – ''FlightGlobal'', 2 April 2013</ref>

In January 2014, [[Air Mobility Command]], [[Air Force Materiel Command]] and the Air Force Research Lab were in the early stages of defining requirements for the C-X next generation airlifter program<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://othjournal.com/2017/03/06/next-gen-cx/|title=C-X: Next-Gen Cargo Plane for the Joint Force|last=Horizon|first=Over The|date=6 March 2017|website=OTH|language=en-US|access-date=21 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190221224230/https://othjournal.com/2017/03/06/next-gen-cx/|archive-date=21 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> to replace both the C-130 and C-17. The aircraft would be produced from the early 2030s to the 2040s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daily Report |url=https://www.airforcemag.com/daily-report/ |access-date=2022-07-22 |website=Air Force Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Operational history==

===Military===
[[File:Lockheed KC-130F Hercules aboard USS Forrestal (CVA-59) on 30 October 1963 (higher res).jpg|thumb|A USMC KC-130F Hercules performing takeoffs and landings aboard the aircraft carrier {{USS|Forrestal|CV-59|2}} in 1963. The aircraft is now displayed at the [[National Museum of Naval Aviation]].]]

The first production batch of C-130A aircraft were delivered beginning in 1956 to the [[463d Troop Carrier Wing]] at [[Ardmore Air Force Base|Ardmore AFB]], Oklahoma, and the [[314th Troop Carrier Wing]] at [[Sewart AFB]], Tennessee. Six additional squadrons were assigned to the [[322d Air Division]] in Europe and the [[315th Air Division]] in the Far East. Additional aircraft were modified for electronics intelligence work and assigned to [[Rhein-Main Air Base]], Germany while modified RC-130As were assigned to the [[Military Air Transport Service]] (MATS) photo-mapping division. The C-130A entered service with the U.S. Air Force in December 1956.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/c130/history.html |title=C-130 History |website=Lockheed Martin |date=30 April 2018 |language=en-us |access-date=25 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920160824/https://lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/c130/history.html |archive-date=20 September 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1958, a U.S. reconnaissance C-130A-II of the [[7406th Support Squadron]] was [[1958 C-130 shootdown incident|shot down over Armenia]] by four Soviet [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17|MiG-17s]] along the Turkish-Armenian border during a routine mission.<ref name=nsapdf>{{cite web|url=http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/c130_shootdown/60528s_Last_Flight.pdf|website=nsa.gov|publisher=National Security Agency|title=60528's Last Flight|date=31 August 2009|access-date=13 April 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410093512/https://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/c130_shootdown/60528s_Last_Flight.pdf|archive-date=10 April 2016}}</ref>

Australia became the first non-American [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Australian service|operator of the Hercules]] with 12 examples being delivered from late 1958. The [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] became another early user with the delivery of four B-models (Canadian designation CC-130 Mk I) in October / November 1960.<ref>{{cite web|title=Canadian Military Aircraft|url=http://www.rwrwalker.ca/RCAF_10301_10418_detailed.html|access-date=6 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191800/http://www.rwrwalker.ca/RCAF_10301_10418_detailed.html|archive-date=2 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1963, a Hercules achieved and still holds the record for the largest and heaviest aircraft to land on an [[aircraft carrier]].<ref>[http://www.defenceaviation.com/2007/06/c-130-hercules-on-aircraft-carrier.html "C-130 Hercules on an Aircraft carrier"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203110835/http://www.defenceaviation.com/2007/06/c-130-hercules-on-aircraft-carrier.html |date=3 December 2008}} ''Defence Aviation'', 2 May 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2010.</ref> During October and November that year, a USMC KC-130F (BuNo ''149798''), loaned to the U.S. Naval Air Test Center, made 29 [[touch-and-go landing]]s, 21 [[Arresting gear|unarrested]] full-stop landings and 21 unassisted take-offs on {{USS|Forrestal|CVA-59|2}} at a number of different weights. The pilot, Lieutenant (later Rear Admiral) [[James H. Flatley III]], USN, was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] for his role in this test series. The tests were highly successful, but the aircraft was not deployed this way.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} Flatley denied that C-130 was tested for [[carrier onboard delivery]] (COD) operations, or for delivering nuclear weapons. He said that the intention was to support the [[Lockheed U-2]], also being tested on carriers.<ref name="carroll20220203">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1frJ2V8LTEs |title=Here's How a Fighter Pilot Landed a Cargo Plane on a Carrier |date=2022-02-03 |last=Carroll |first=Ward |type=video |language=en-US |via=YouTube}}</ref> The Hercules used in the test, most recently in service with Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 352 ([[VMGR-352]]) until 2005, is now part of the collection of the [[National Museum of Naval Aviation]] at [[NAS Pensacola]], Florida.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vietnam Conflict Aviation Resource Center - A Warbirds Resource Group Site |url=https://vietnam.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/c130hercules-operation.html |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=vietnam.warbirdsresourcegroup.org}}</ref>

In 1964, C-130 crews from the 6315th Operations Group at [[Naha Air Base]], Okinawa commenced [[forward air control]] (FAC; "Flare") missions over the [[Ho Chi Minh Trail]] in Laos supporting USAF strike aircraft. In April 1965 the mission was expanded to [[North Vietnam]] where C-130 crews led formations of [[Martin B-57 Canberra]] bombers on night reconnaissance/strike missions against communist supply routes leading to South Vietnam. In early 1966 Project Blind Bat/Lamplighter was established at [[Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base]], Thailand. After the move to Ubon, the mission became a four-engine FAC mission with the C-130 crew searching for targets and then calling in strike aircraft. Another little-known C-130 mission flown by Naha-based crews was Operation Commando Scarf (or Operation Commando Lava), which involved the delivery of chemicals onto sections of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos that were designed to produce mud and landslides in hopes of making the truck routes impassable.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://medium.com/war-is-boring/mud-wars-how-the-air-force-tried-to-muck-up-vietnam-a198568c72a9 | title=Mud Wars: How the Air Force Tried to Muck up Vietnam | date=19 January 2014 }}</ref>

In November 1964, on the other side of the globe, C-130Es from the 464th Troop Carrier Wing but loaned to [[322d Air Division]] in France, took part in [[Operation Dragon Rouge]], one of the most dramatic missions in history in the former [[Belgian Congo]]. After communist [[Simba Rebellion|Simba rebels]] took white residents of the city of [[Kisangani|Stanleyville]] hostage, the U.S. and Belgium developed a joint rescue mission that used the C-130s to drop, air-land, and air-lift a force of Belgian paratroopers to rescue the hostages. Two missions were flown, one over Stanleyville and another over [[Paulis (Congo)|Paulis]] during Thanksgiving week.<ref>Odom, Maj. T. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100505204701/http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/resources/csi/odom/odom.asp "Dragon Operations: Hostage Rescues in the Congo, 1964–1965"]. ''Combat Studies Institute'', January 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2010.</ref> The headline-making mission resulted in the first award of the prestigious [[MacKay Trophy]] to C-130 crews.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mackay Trophy |url=https://naa.aero/awards/awards-and-trophies/mackay-trophy/ |website= National Aeronautic Association (naa.aero) |access-date=2023-09-08 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2012-12-29 |title=Belgian paratroopers in operation Dragon Rouge |url=https://special-ops.org/belgian-paratroopers-operation-dragon-rouge/ |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Spec Ops Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>

In the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]], the No. 6 Transport Squadron of the [[Pakistan Air Force]] modified its C-130Bs for use as bombers to carry up to {{convert|20,000|lb|kg}} of bombs on pallets. These improvised bombers were used to hit Indian targets such as bridges, heavy artillery positions, tank formations, and troop concentrations, though they were largely unsuccessful.<ref>Newdick, Thomas [https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-unusual-history-of-transport-bomber-planes-2ce280fbb546 "The Unusual History of Transport Bomber Planes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722095214/https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-unusual-history-of-transport-bomber-planes-2ce280fbb546 |date=22 July 2015}} ''War Is Boring'', 2 March 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.</ref><ref>Group Captain (Retd) Sultan M Hali's [http://defencejournal.com/dec98/christian.htm "PAF's Gallant Christian Heroes Carry Quaid's Message"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303190816/http://www.defencejournal.com/dec98/christian.htm |date=3 March 2016}} ''Defence Journal'', December 1998. Retrieved 5 September 2015.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.paf.gov.pk/courage.html |title=Pakistan Air Force – Official website |access-date=29 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019061646/http://www.paf.gov.pk/courage.html |archive-date=19 October 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:C-130 Kham Duc.jpg|thumb|C-130 Hercules were used in the [[Battle of Kham Duc]] in 1968, when the [[North Vietnamese Army]] forced U.S.-led forces to abandon the Kham Duc Special Forces Camp.]]
In October 1968, a C-130Bs from the 463rd Tactical Airlift Wing dropped a pair of [[M-121 (bomb)|M-121]] {{convert|10,000|lb|kg}} bombs that had been developed for the massive [[Convair B-36 Peacemaker]] bomber but had never been used. The U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force resurrected the huge weapons as a means of clearing landing zones for helicopters and in early 1969 the 463rd commenced [[BLU-82|Commando Vault]] missions. Although the stated purpose of Commando Vault was to clear LZs, they were also used on enemy base camps and other targets.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hinh|first=Nguyen Duy|title=Lam Son 719|url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a324683.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018203337/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a324683.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=October 18, 2016|page=133|publisher=U.S. Army Center of Military History|access-date=15 October 2016}}</ref>

During the late 1960s, the U.S. was eager to get information on Chinese nuclear capabilities. After the failure of the [[Black Cat Squadron]] to plant operating sensor pods near the [[Lop Nur]] Nuclear Weapons Test Base using a U-2, the [[CIA]] developed a plan, named ''Heavy Tea'', to deploy two battery-powered sensor pallets near the base. To deploy the pallets, a Black Bat Squadron crew was trained in the U.S. to fly the C-130 Hercules. The crew of 12, led by Col Sun Pei Zhen, took off from [[Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base]] in an unmarked U.S. Air Force C-130E on 17 May 1969. Flying for six and a half hours at low altitude in the dark, they arrived over the target and the sensor pallets were dropped by parachute near Anxi in [[Gansu province]]. After another six and a half hours of low-altitude flight, they arrived back at Takhli. The sensors worked and uploaded data to a U.S. intelligence satellite for six months before their batteries failed. The Chinese conducted two nuclear tests, on 22 September 1969 and 29 September 1969, during the operating life of the sensor pallets. Another mission to the area was planned as Operation Golden Whip, but it was called off in 1970.<ref>Pocock, Chris. ''The Black Bats: CIA Spy Flights over China from Taiwan 1951–1969''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military History, 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-7643-3513-6}}.</ref> It is most likely that the aircraft used on this mission was either C-130E serial number 64-0506 or 64-0507 (cn 382-3990 and 382–3991). These two aircraft were delivered to [[Air America (airline)|Air America]] in 1964.<ref>Leeker, Dr Joe. [http://www.utdallas.edu/library/collections/speccoll/Leeker/c130.pdf "Air America: Lockheed C-130 Hercules"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907013404/http://www.utdallas.edu/library/collections/speccoll/Leeker/c130.pdf |date=7 September 2012}} ''The University of Texas at Dallas.'' 23 August 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2012.</ref> After being returned to the U.S. Air Force sometime between 1966 and 1970, they were assigned the serial numbers of C-130s that had been destroyed in accidents. 64-0506 is now flying as 62–1843, a C-130E that crashed in Vietnam on 20 December 1965, and 64-0507 is now flying as 63–7785, a C-130E that had crashed in Vietnam on 17 June 1966.<ref>Baugher, Joe [http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1964.html 1964 USAF Serial Numbers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308165554/http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1964.html |date=8 March 2012}} Retrieved: 29 January 2012.</ref>

The A-model continued in service through the [[Vietnam War]], where the aircraft assigned to the four squadrons at [[Naha AB]], Okinawa, and one at [[Tachikawa Airfield|Tachikawa Air Base]], Japan performed yeoman's service, including operating highly classified special operations missions such as the BLIND BAT FAC/Flare mission and Fact Sheet leaflet mission over Laos and North Vietnam. The A-model was also provided to the [[Republic of Vietnam Air Force]] as part of the [[Vietnamization]] program at the end of the war, and equipped three squadrons based at [[Tan Son Nhut Air Base]]. The last operator in the world is the [[Honduran Air Force]], which is still flying one of five A model Hercules (FAH ''558'', c/n 3042) as of October 2009.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 5}} As the Vietnam War wound down, the 463rd Troop Carrier/Tactical Airlift Wing B-models and A-models of the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing were transferred back to the United States where most were assigned to [[Air Force Reserve]] and [[Air National Guard]] units.

[[File:DaNangairbase1965.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. Marines disembarking from C-130 transports at [[Da Nang Air Base]] on 8 March 1965.]]
Another prominent role for the B model was with the [[United States Marine Corps]], where Hercules initially designated as GV-1s replaced C-119s. After Air Force C-130Ds proved the type's usefulness in [[Antarctica]], the U.S. Navy purchased several B-models equipped with skis that were designated as LC-130s. C-130B-II electronic reconnaissance aircraft were operated under the SUN VALLEY program name primarily from Yokota Air Base, Japan. All reverted to standard C-130B cargo aircraft after their replacement in the reconnaissance role by other aircraft.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}

The C-130 was also used in the 1976 [[Operation Entebbe|Entebbe raid]] in which Israeli commando forces performed a surprise operation to rescue 103 passengers of an airliner hijacked by [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] and German terrorists at [[Entebbe Airport]], Uganda. The rescue force—200 soldiers, jeeps, and a black [[Mercedes-Benz]] (intended to resemble Ugandan Dictator [[Idi Amin]]'s vehicle of state)—was flown over {{convert|2200|nmi|0|abbr=on}} almost entirely at an altitude of less than {{convert|100|ft|abbr=on}} from Israel to Entebbe by four [[Israeli Air Force]] (IAF) Hercules aircraft without mid-air refueling (on the way back, the aircraft refueled in [[Nairobi]], Kenya).{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}

During the [[Falklands War]] ({{langx|es|link=no|Guerra de las Malvinas}}) of 1982, [[Argentine Air Force]] C-130s undertook dangerous re-supply night flights as blockade runners to the Argentine garrison on the [[Falkland Islands]]. They also performed daylight maritime survey flights. One was shot down by a [[801 Naval Air Squadron#Falklands War|Royal Navy]] [[Sea Harrier]] using [[AIM-9 Sidewinder]]s and cannon. The crew of seven were killed. Argentina also operated two KC-130 [[Aerial refuelling|tankers]] during the war, and these refueled both the [[Douglas A-4 Skyhawk]]s and Navy [[Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard]]s; some C-130s were modified to operate as bombers with bomb-racks under their wings.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Prial|first=Frank J.|date=9 June 1982|title=Tanker Attacked in South Atlantic |language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/09/world/tanker-attacked-in-south-atlantic.html|access-date=4 December 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The British also used RAF C-130s to support their logistical operations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/hercules-c130j |title= About the Hercules (C-130J) |website=Royal Air Force |access-date=29 May 2023 |quote="...the Hercules fleet was crucial to UK operations, a fact emphasised by the 1982 Falklands War"|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619185804/https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/hercules-c130j/|archive-date=19 June 2023}}</ref>

[[File:C-130T Hercules Blue Angels.jpg|thumb|USMC C-130T ''Fat Albert'' performing a [[JATO|rocket-assisted takeoff]] (RATO)]]
During the [[Gulf War]] of 1991 ([[Operation Desert Storm]]), the C-130 Hercules was used operationally by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps, along with the air forces of Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and the UK. The [[MC-130 Combat Talon]] variant also made the first attacks using the largest conventional [[bomb]]s in the world, the [[BLU-82]] "Daisy Cutter" and [[GBU-43/B]] "Massive Ordnance Air Blast" (MOAB) bomb. Daisy Cutters were used to primarily clear landing zones and to eliminate [[mine field]]s. The weight and size of the weapons make it impossible or impractical to load them on conventional [[bomber aircraft|bombers]]. The GBU-43/B MOAB is a successor to the BLU-82 and can perform the same function, as well as perform strike functions against hardened targets in a low air threat environment.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}

[[File:C-130 Hercules performs a tactical landing on a dirt strip.jpg|thumb|left|C-130 Hercules performs a tactical landing on a dirt strip, North Carolina, U.S.]]
Since 1992, two successive C-130 aircraft named ''Fat Albert'' have served as the support aircraft for the U.S. Navy [[Blue Angels]] flight demonstration team. ''Fat Albert I'' was a TC-130G (''151891'') a former U.S. Navy TACAMO aircraft serving with Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VQ-3) before being transferred to the BLUES,<ref name = olausson43>Olausson, Lars, "Lockheed Hercules Production List 1954–2012", 28th ed., self-published, Såtenäs, Sweden, March 2010, p. 43.</ref> while ''Fat Albert II'' is a C-130T (''164763'').<ref>Olausson, Lars, "Lockheed Hercules Production List 1954–2012", 28th ed., self-published, Såtenäs, Sweden, March 2010, p. 120.</ref> Although ''Fat Albert'' supports a Navy squadron, it is operated by the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and its crew consists solely of USMC personnel. At some [[air show]]s featuring the team, ''Fat Albert'' takes part, performing flyovers. Until 2009, it also demonstrated its [[JATO|rocket-assisted takeoff]] (RATO) capabilities; these ended due to dwindling supplies of rockets.<ref name="FA JATO">McCullough, Amy. "Abort Launch: Air shows to do without Fat Albert's famed JATO." ''[[Marine Corps Times]],'' 9 November 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2009.</ref>

The AC-130 also holds the record for the longest sustained flight by a C-130. From 22 to 24 October 1997, two AC-130U gunships flew 36 hours nonstop from [[Hurlburt Field]], Florida to [[Daegu International Airport]], [[South Korea]], being refueled seven times by KC-135 tanker aircraft. This record flight beat the previous record longest flight by over 10 hours and the two gunships took on {{convert|410000|lb|abbr=on}} of fuel. The gunship has been used in every major U.S. combat operation since Vietnam, except for [[Operation El Dorado Canyon]], the 1986 attack on Libya.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120721084800/http://www.afsoc.af.mil/library/afsocheritage/index.asp "AFSOC Heritage"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319013250/http://www2.afsoc.af.mil/library/afsocheritage/index.asp |date=19 March 2014}} ''US Air Force Special Operations Command.'' Retrieved: 31 July 2009.</ref>

During the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|invasion of Afghanistan in 2001]] and the ongoing support of the [[International Security Assistance Force]] ([[Operation Enduring Freedom]]), the C-130 Hercules has been used operationally by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, Spain, the UK, and the United States.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}<ref>1. Martel WC. 2001 Invasion of Afghanistan. In: ''Victory in War: Foundations of Modern Military Policy''. Cambridge University Press; 2006:223-242.[https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/victory-in-war/2001-invasion-of-afghanistan/14876434BCA659DFF427CAE17DDFD259]</ref>

During the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]] ([[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]), the C-130 Hercules was used operationally by Australia, the UK, and the United States. After the initial invasion, C-130 operators as part of the [[Multinational force in Iraq]] used their C-130s to support their forces in Iraq.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vietnam Conflict Aviation Resource Center - A Warbirds Resource Group Site |url=http://vietnam.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/c130hercules-operation.html |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=vietnam.warbirdsresourcegroup.org}}</ref>

Since 2004, the Pakistan Air Force has employed C-130s in the [[War in North-West Pakistan]]. Some variants had [[forward looking infrared]] (FLIR Systems Star Safire III EO/IR) sensor balls, to enable close tracking of militants.<ref>[http://tribune.com.pk/story/291762/paf-conducted-5500-bombing-runs-in-fata-since-2008/ PAF conducted 5,500 bombing runs in Fata since 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128202816/http://tribune.com.pk/story/291762/paf-conducted-5500-bombing-runs-in-fata-since-2008/ |date=28 January 2012}}, The Express Tribune, 14 November 2011</ref>

In 2017, France and Germany announced that they will build up a joint air transport squadron at [[Evreux Air Base]], France, comprising ten C-130J aircraft. Six of these will be operated by Germany. Initial operational capability is expected for 2021 while full operational capability is scheduled for 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=C-130J der Luftwaffe werden in Evreux fliegen |url=https://www.flugrevue.de/militaer/deutsch-franzoesische-lufttransportkooperation-c-130j-der-luftwaffe-werden-in-evreux-fliegen/ |language=de |work=Flug Revue |date=19 October 2017 |first=Karl |last=Schwarz}}</ref>

The Argentine Air Force has five C-130H aircraft that are part of a US-funded security assistance donation. The US has been leasing the aircraft to the Argentine Air Force through the Georgia Air National Guard since June 2023.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

===Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill===
[[File:C-130 support oil spill cleanup.jpg|thumb|A U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown-Warren Air Reserve Station, Ohio, drops oil-dispersing chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico, 9 May 2010.]]

For almost two decades, the USAF [[910th Airlift Wing]]'s [[757th Airlift Squadron]] and the [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] have participated in oil spill cleanup exercises to ensure the U.S. military has a capable response in the event of a national emergency. The 757th Airlift Squadron operates the DOD's only fixed-wing Aerial Spray System which was certified by the EPA to disperse pesticides on DOD property to spread oil dispersants onto the [[Deepwater Horizon oil spill|''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill]] in the Gulf Coast in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.internationalairresponse.com/customers.asp |title= specialized aerial service |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150705185359/http://www.internationalairresponse.com/customers.asp |archive-date= 5 July 2015 |url-status= dead |access-date= 4 July 2015 |df= dmy-all}}</ref>

During the 5-week mission, the aircrews flew 92 sorties and sprayed approximately 30,000 acres with nearly 149,000 gallons of oil dispersant to break up the oil. The Deepwater Horizon mission was the first time the US used the oil dispersing capability of the 910th Airlift Wing—its only large area, fixed-wing aerial spray program—in an actual spill of national significance.<ref name= ":0">{{Cite web |url= https://www.youngstown.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/179269/air-force-reserves-910th-airlift-wing-provides-initial-response-to-deepwater-ho/ |first=Brent J. |last=Davis |title= Air Force Reserve's 910th Airlift Wing provides initial response to Deepwater Horizon spill |website= Youngstown Air Reserve Station |language= en-US |date= 24 June 2010}}</ref> The [[Air Force Reserve Command]] announced the 910th Airlift Wing has been selected as a recipient of the [[Air Force Outstanding Unit Award]] for its outstanding achievement from 28 April 2010 through 4 June 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.youngstown.afrc.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/822/Article/179218/910th-receives-outstanding-unit-award.aspx |first=Brent |last=Davis |title= 910th receives Outstanding Unit Award |website= Youngstown Air Reserve Station |language= en-US |date=6 March 2010}}</ref>

=== Hurricane Harvey (2017) ===
[[File:Illinois National Guard (36884158612).jpg|thumb|Illinois Air National Guard crews assisting with Hurricane Harvey relief load supplies aboard a C-130]]

C-130s temporarily based at [[Kelly Field Annex|Kelly Field]] conducted [[mosquito control]] aerial spray applications over areas of eastern Texas devastated by [[Hurricane Harvey]]. This special mission treated more than 2.3&nbsp;million acres at the direction of [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA) and the [[Texas Department of State Health Services]] (DSHS) to assist in recovery efforts by helping contain the significant increase in pest insects caused by large amounts of standing, stagnant water. The [[910th Airlift Wing]] operates the Department of Defense's only aerial spray capability to control pest insect populations, eliminate undesired and [[invasive vegetation]], and disperse oil spills in large bodies of water.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.youngstown.afrc.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/865/Article/178927/aerial-spray-mission.aspx|title=Aerial Spray Mission|website=Youngstown Air Reserve Station|language=en-US|access-date=21 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108230359/http://www.youngstown.afrc.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/865/Article/178927/aerial-spray-mission.aspx|archive-date=8 November 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The aerial spray flight also is now able to operate during the night with [[Night-vision device|NVGs]], which increases the flight's best case spray capacity from approximately 60 thousand acres per day to approximately 190 thousand acres per day. Spray missions are normally conducted at dusk and nighttime hours when pest insects are most active, the [[Air Force Reserve Command|U.S. Air Force Reserve]] reports.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mypmp.net/2017/09/12/hurricane-harvey-relief-air-force-provides-mosquito-aerial-spray-applications/|title=Hurricane Harvey relief: Air Force provides mosquito aerial spray applications : Pest Management Professional|date=12 September 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=21 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222041942/https://www.mypmp.net/2017/09/12/hurricane-harvey-relief-air-force-provides-mosquito-aerial-spray-applications/|archive-date=22 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Aerial firefighting===
[[File:C-130E MAFFS dropping fire retardant Simi Fire Southern California DF-SD-05-14857.jpg|thumb|A C-130E fitted with a [[MAFFS]]-1 dropping fire retardant.]]
{{Globalize section|date=November 2023|the United States}}

In the early 1970s, Congress authorized the [[Modular Airborne FireFighting System|Modular Airborne Firefighting System]] (MAFFS), a joint operation between the [[U.S. Forest Service]] and the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]. MAFFS is roll-on/roll-off device that allows C-130s to be temporarily converted into a 3,000-gallon [[airtanker]] for fighting [[wildfire]]s when demand exceeds the supply of privately contracted and publicly available airtankers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fs.fed.us/managing-land/fire/planes/maffs |title=Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) |website=U.S. Forest Service |date=14 July 2017 |access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref>

In the late 1980s, 22 retired USAF C-130As were removed from storage and transferred to the U.S. Forest Service, which then [[U.S. Forest Service airtanker scandal|transferred them to six private companies]] to be converted into airtankers. One of [[2002 airtanker crashes|these C-130s crashed]] in June 2002 while operating near [[Walker, California]]. The crash was attributed to wing separation caused by fatigue stress cracking and contributed to the grounding of the entire large aircraft fleet.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/employment/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20020621X00954&ntsbno=LAX02GA201&akey=1|title=NTSB Identification: LAX02GA201|last=Anonymous|first=Anonymous|website=National Transportation Safety Board|access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref> After an extensive review, [[United States Forest Service|US Forest Service]] and the [[Bureau of Land Management]] declined to renew the leases on nine C-130A over concerns about the age of the aircraft, which had been in service since the 1950s, and their ability to handle the forces generated by aerial firefighting.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}

More recently, an updated Retardant Aerial Delivery System known as RADS XL was developed by [[Coulson Aviation]] USA. That system consists of a C-130H/Q retrofitted with an in-floor discharge system, combined with a removable 3,500- or 4,000-gallon water tank. The combined system is FAA certified.<ref>{{cite web|title=C-130H/Q Fire Fighting Air Tanker|url=http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/aero/documents/global-sustainment/product-support/2013-hoc-presentations/2013-HOC-Tuesday/Tues%201145%20Coulson%20Aviation.pdf|access-date=9 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415073023/http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/aero/documents/global-sustainment/product-support/2013-hoc-presentations/2013-HOC-Tuesday/Tues%201145%20Coulson%20Aviation.pdf|archive-date=15 April 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On [[2020 Coulson Aviation Lockheed C-130 Hercules crash|23 January 2020]], Coulson's Tanker 134, an EC-130Q registered N134CG, crashed during aerial firefighting operations in [[New South Wales]], Australia, killing all three crew members. The aircraft had taken off out of [[RAAF Base Richmond]] and was supporting firefighting operations during Australia's [[2019–20 Australian bushfire season|2019–20 fire season]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-01-23 |title=Three Americans killed as C-130 firefighting plane crashes in Australia |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-01-22/australian-crews-search-for-firefight-plane-feared-crashed |access-date=2024-05-27 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

==Variants==
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2014}}
[[File:Picture of a C-130A of the VNAF.jpg|thumb|C-130A of the [[South Vietnam Air Force]]]]
[[File:S3-AGB Bangladesh Air Force Lockheed C-130B Hercules.jpg|thumb|[[Bangladesh Air Force]] C-130B]]
[[File:A flying C-130 Hercules.jpg|thumb|C-130E of the [[Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force]]]]
[[File:165158 C-130T US Navy (10124273196).jpg|thumb|[[United States Navy]] C-130T, 2013]]
[[File:USCG C-130J.jpg|thumb|right|A [[United States Coast Guard]] HC-130J]]
[[File:C-130 MK1 FAM 2 (altered).jpg|thumb|A [[Mexican Air Force]] C-130K]]
[[File:KH film recovery.jpg|thumb|A U.S. JC-130 aircraft retrieving a reconnaissance satellite film capsule under parachute.]]
[[File:RAAF Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 YPMC Creek.jpg|thumb|[[RAAF]] C-130J-30 at Point Cook, 2006]]
{{For|civilian versions|Lockheed L-100 Hercules}}

Significant military variants of the C-130 include:
;C-130A
: Initial production model with four Allison T56-A-11/9 turboprop engines. 219 were ordered and deliveries to the USAF began in December 1956.
;C-130B
: Variant with four Allison T56-A-7 engines. 134 were ordered and entered USAF service in May 1959.
;C-130E
: Same engines as the C-130B but with two {{Convert|1,290|U.S.gal|abbr=on}} external fuel tanks, and an increased maximum takeoff weight capability. Introduced in August 1962 with 389 were ordered.
;C-130F/G
: Variants procured by the U.S. Navy for Marine Corps refueling missions, and other support/transport operations.
;C-130H
: Identical to the C-130E but with more powerful Allison T56-A-15 turboprop engines. Introduced in June 1964 with 308 ordered.
;C-130K
: Designation for [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] Hercules C1/W2/C3 aircraft (C-130Js in RAF service are the Hercules C.4 and Hercules C.5)
;C-130T
: Improved variants procured by the U.S. Navy for Marine Corps for refueling and other support/transport operations.
;[[C-130A-II Dreamboat]]
: Early version Electronic Intelligence/Signals Intelligence (ELINT/SIGINT) aircraft<ref name="aviation-safety.net">{{cite web|title=Criminal Occurrence description |url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19580902-2|website=aviation-safety.net|access-date=13 April 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170413235032/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19580902-2|archive-date=13 April 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
;[[Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules|C-130J Super Hercules]]
: Tactical airlifter, with new engines, avionics, and updated systems
;C-130B BLC: A one-off conversion of C-130B 58–0712, modified with a double [[Allison YT56]] gas generator pod under each outer wing, to provide bleed air for all the control surfaces and flaps.<ref name="Flight090960pp2-3">{{cite journal |title=Now the STOL Hercules (advert) |journal=Flight |date=9 September 1960 |volume=78 |issue=2687 |pages=2–3 |url=https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1960/1960%20-%201774.PDF |access-date=14 November 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181115030904/https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1960/1960%20-%201774.PDF |archive-date=15 November 2018 |url-status= live}}</ref>
;[[Lockheed AC-130|AC-130A/E/H/J/U/W]]
: Gunship variants
;C-130D/D-6
: Ski-equipped version for snow and ice operations [[United States Air Force]] / Air National Guard
;CC-130E/H/J Hercules
: Designation for [[Canadian Armed Forces]] / [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] Hercules aircraft.<ref>{{cite web |title=CC-130H Hercules |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/air-force/services/aircraft/cc-130h.html |website=Royal Canadian Air Force |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=4 August 2024 |language=en |date=2020-06-16}}</ref> U.S. Air Force used the CC-130J designation to differentiate the standard C-130J variant from the "stretched" C-130J (company designation C-130J-30). CC-130H(T) is the Canadian tanker variant of the [[Lockheed Martin KC-130|KC-130H]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jordan |first1=Art |title=A little bit of Hercules history |url=https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/maple-leaf/rcaf/2020/11/a-little-bit-of-hercules-history.html |website=The Maple Leaf |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=4 August 2024 |language=en |date=November 17, 2020}}</ref>
;C-130M: Designation used by the [[Brazilian Air Force]] for locally modified C-130H aircraft.<ref name="eda">{{cite web|title=Brazilian Military Airworthiness Certification and KC-390 Project Challenge|url=https://www.eda.europa.eu/docs/default-source/events/15-ifi---brazilian-certification-and-kc-390-br-maa.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218164514/http://www.eda.europa.eu/docs/default-source/events/15-ifi---brazilian-certification-and-kc-390-br-maa.pdf |archive-date=2014-12-18 |url-status=live|publisher=Department of Science and Aerospace Technology|access-date=14 May 2017|page=13|format=.ppt}}</ref>
;[[Lockheed DC-130|DC-130A/E/H]]
: USAF and USN Drone control
;[[Lockheed Martin E-130J|E-130J]]
: Future USN [[TACAMO]] aircraft
;[[Lockheed EC-130|EC-130]]
:'''EC-130E/J Commando Solo'''&nbsp;– USAF / Air National Guard [[Psychological Operations (United States)|psychological operations]] version
:'''EC-130E Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center (ABCCC)'''&nbsp;– USAF procedural air-to-ground attack control, also provided NRT threat updates
:'''EC-130E Rivet Rider'''&nbsp;– Airborne psychological warfare aircraft
:'''EC-130H Compass Call'''&nbsp;– [[Electronic warfare]] and electronic attack.<ref>King, Capt. Vince, Jr. [https://www.af.mil/News/story/storyID/123030212/ "Compass Call continues to 'Jam' enemy"]. ''Air Force Link, United States Air Force,'' 1 November 2006.</ref>
:'''EC-130Q'''&nbsp;– USN TACAMO aircraft
:'''EC-130V'''&nbsp;– Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) variant used by [[USCG]] for counter-narcotics missions<ref>[https://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/ec-130v.htm "Lockheed EC-130V Hercules"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225741/http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/ec-130v.htm |date=3 March 2016}} ''Military Analysis Network, Federation of American Scientists,'' 10 February 1998. Retrieved 2 October 2010.</ref>
;GC-130
: Permanently grounded instructional airframes
;[[Lockheed HC-130|HC-130]]
:'''HC-130B/E/H'''&nbsp;– Early model [[combat search and rescue]]
:'''HC-130P/N Combat King'''&nbsp;– USAF aerial refueling tanker and combat search and rescue
:'''HC-130J Combat King II'''&nbsp;– Next generation [[combat search and rescue]] tanker
:'''HC-130H/J'''&nbsp;– USCG long-range surveillance and [[search and rescue]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20190222042013/https://www.youngstown.afrc.af.mil/About/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/178927/aerial-spray-mission/ USAFR Aerial Spray & Airlift]
;JC-130
: Temporary conversion for flight test operations; used to recover [[Lockheed D-21|drones]] and spy satellite film capsules.
;[[Lockheed Martin KC-130|KC-130F/R/T/J]]
: [[United States Marine Corps]] aerial refueling tanker and tactical airlifter
;[[Lockheed LC-130|LC-130F/H/R]]
: USAF / Air National Guard&nbsp;– Ski-equipped version for [[Arctic]] and [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] support operations; LC-130F and R previously operated by USN
;[[Lockheed MC-130|MC-130]]
:'''MC-130E/H Combat Talon I/II'''&nbsp;– [[Special operations]] infiltration/extraction variant
:'''MC-130W Combat Spear/Dragon Spear'''&nbsp;– Special operations tanker/gunship<ref name="MC130W">Housman, Damian. [https://www.af.mil/News/story/id/123022607/ "Highly modified C-130 ready for war on terrorism"]. ''Air Force Link, United States Air Force,'' 29 June 2006.</ref>
:'''MC-130P Combat Shadow'''&nbsp;– Special operations tanker – all operational aircraft converted to HC-130P standard
:'''MC-130J Commando II''' (formerly Combat Shadow II)&nbsp;– Special operations tanker Air Force Special Operations Command<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.afsoc.af.mil/News/story/id/123294130/ |title=MC-130 J name change promotes modern missions, preserves heritage |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130227173803/http://www.afsoc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123294130 |archive-date=27 February 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
:'''YMC-130H'''&nbsp;– Modified aircraft under [[Operation Credible Sport]] for second [[Iran hostage crisis]] rescue attempt
;NC-130
: Permanent conversion for flight test operations
;PC-130/C-130-MP
: [[Maritime patrol]]
;[[Lockheed RC-130 Hercules|RC-130A/S]]
: [[Surveillance aircraft]] for reconnaissance
;SC-130J Sea Herc
: Proposed maritime patrol version of the C-130J, designed for coastal surveillance and anti-submarine warfare.<ref name=SC130J-LM>{{cite web|title=SC-130J Sea Herc|url=http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/c130/c-130j-variants/sc-130j.html|website=lockheedmartin.com|publisher=Lockheed Martin|access-date=12 June 2014|ref=SC130J-LM|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714162942/http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/c130/c-130j-variants/sc-130j.html|archive-date=14 July 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=SC130J-StratPost>{{cite web|title=Lockheed Martin's Sea Hercules unveiled |url= http://www.stratpost.com/lockheed-martins-sea-hercules-unveiled|website=stratpost.com|date=16 April 2012 |publisher=StratPost|access-date=12 June 2014 |ref= SC130J-StratPost |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141012231642/http://www.stratpost.com/lockheed-martins-sea-hercules-unveiled|archive-date=12 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

;TC-130
: Aircrew training
;VC-130H
: VIP transport
;[[Lockheed WC-130|WC-130A/B/E/H/J]]
: Weather reconnaissance ("[[Hurricane Hunter]]") version for [[United States Air Force|USAF]] / [[Air Force Reserve Command]]'s [[53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron]] in support of the [[National Weather Service]]'s [[National Hurricane Center]]

;{{visible anchor|C-130(EM/BM) Erciyes}}
:Turkey's Erciyes modernization program covers modernization of the avionics of C-130B/E variants of the aircraft. In scope of modernization the aircraft is equipped with Digital Cockpit (four-color Multifunctional Display with moving map capability-MFD), two Central Display Units (CDU) and two multifunction Central Control Computers compatible with international navigational requirements, as well as with a multifunction Mission Computer with high operational capability, Flight Management System (FMS), Link-16, Ground Mission Planning Unit compatible with the Air Force Information System, and display and lighting systems compatible with Night Vision Goggles. Other components such as GPS, indicator, anti-collision system, air radar, advanced military and civilian navigation systems, night-time invisible lighting for military missions, black box voice recorder, communication systems, advanced automated flight systems (military and civilian), systems enabling operation in the military network, digital moving map and ground mission planning systems are also included.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ERCIYES C-130 Modernization Program Will Keep C-130B/E Aircraft in Service Until the 2040s |url=https://www.defenceturkey.com/en/content/erciyes-c-130-modernization-program-will-keep-c-130b-e-aircraft-in-service-until-the-2040s-5327 |access-date=2023-12-14 |website= defenceturkey.com}}</ref>

;B.L.8
:({{langx|th|บ.ล.๘}}) [[Royal Thai Armed Forces]] designation for the C-130H.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Thai Military Aircraft Designations |url=https://designation-systems.net/non-us/thailand.html |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=designation-systems.net}}</ref>
;B.L.8A
:({{langx|th|บ.ล.๘ก}}) Royal Thai Armed Forces designation for the C-130H-30.<ref name=":1" />

;TP 84
:[[Swedish Air Force]] designation for the C-130H

==Operators==
[[File:July 2025 World operators of the C-130 Hercules.png|thumb|upright=1.25|Military operators: {{legend-inline|#a3d2ef|Current}}{{spaces|em}}
{{legend-inline|#a3efaa|Former}}]]
[[File:Lockheed C-130H Hercules, Taiwan - Air Force JP7257188.jpg|thumb|A [[Republic of China Air Force]] C-130H, 2011]]
[[File:C-130H 5125.jpg|thumb|A [[Philippine Air Force]] C-130H, 2021]]
[[File:RNZAF (NZ7005) Lockheed C-130H Hercules flying display at last day of the 2019 Australian International Airshow (4).jpg|thumb|A [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]] C-130H, 2019]]
{{main|List of Lockheed C-130 Hercules operators}}

{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* {{DZA}}
* {{ARG}}
* {{AUS}}
* {{AUT}}
* {{BAN}}
* {{BOL}}
* {{BOT}}
* {{CMR}}
* {{CAN}}
* {{CHA}}
* {{CHI}}
* {{COL}}
* {{DNK}}
* {{ECU}}
* {{EGY}}
* {{ETH}}
* {{FRA}}
* {{GAB}}
* {{GER}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.flugrevue.de/militaer/fertig-montiert-deutschlands-erste-hercules-rollt-aus-der-halle/ |title=Deutschlands erste Hercules rollt aus der Halle |language=German |website=Flug Revue |last=Zwerger |first=Patrick |date=22 July 2021 |access-date=8 October 2021}}</ref>
* {{GRE}}
* {{IND}}
* {{IDN}}
* {{IRN}}
* {{IRQ}}
* {{ISR}}
* {{ITA}}
* {{JPN}}
* {{JOR}}
* {{KWT}}
* {{LBR}}
* {{LBA}}
* {{MAS}}
* {{MEX}}
* {{MAR}}
* {{NLD}}
* {{NZL}}
* {{NIG}}
* {{NGR}}
* {{NOR}}
* {{OMN}}
* {{PAK}}
* {{PER}}
* {{PHI}}
* {{POL}}
* {{POR}}
<!-- Qatar will only use the C-130J Super Hercules, which is covered in the C-130J article. Please do not list it here. -->
* {{ROC-TW}}
* {{ROU}}
* {{SAU}}
* {{SIN}}
* {{ZAF}}
* {{KOR}}
* {{SRI}}
* {{SUD}}
* {{SWE}}
* {{THA}}
* {{TUN}}
* {{TUR}}
* {{ARE}}
* {{USA}}
* {{URU}}
* {{VEN}}
* {{ZAM}}
{{div col end}}

'''Former operators'''
{{div col|colwidth=15em}}
* {{flag|Afghanistan}}
* {{AGO}}
* {{BEL}}
* {{BRA}}
* {{HON}}
* {{flag|Rhodesia}}
* {{flag|South Vietnam}}
* {{ESP}}
* {{UK}}
* {{YEM}}
* {{flag|Zaire}}
{{div col end}}

==Accidents==
{{main|List of accidents and incidents involving the Lockheed C-130 Hercules}}

The C-130 Hercules has had a low accident rate in general. The Royal Air Force recorded an accident rate of about one aircraft loss per 250,000 flying hours over the last 40 years, placing it behind [[Vickers VC10]]s and [[Lockheed TriStar (RAF)|Lockheed TriStars]] with no flying losses.<ref name="dasa">[http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/accidents/accdam/acctab2.html "Aircraft Air Accidents and Damage Rates"]. Defence Analytical Services Agency. Retrieved 2 October 2010. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709094759/http://www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/accidents/accdam/acctab2.html |date=9 July 2009}}</ref> USAF C-130A/B/E-models had an overall attrition rate of 5% as of 1989 as compared to 1–2% for commercial airliners in the U.S., according to the [[National Transportation Safety Board|NTSB]], 10% for [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52]] bombers, and 20% for fighters ([[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4]], [[General Dynamics F-111|F-111]]), trainers ([[Cessna T-37 Tweet|T-37]], [[Northrop T-38 Talon|T-38]]), and helicopters ([[Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King|H-3]]).<ref>Diehl 2002, p. 45.</ref>
<!-- No, really. Don't add the accidents to this article. They will be removed. -->

==Aircraft on display==

===Argentina===
* C-130B FAA TC-60. ex USAF 61-0964 received in February 1992 now at [[Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica de Argentina|Museo Nacional de Aeronáutica]] since September 2011.<ref>{{cite web |title=Airframe Details for C-130 #3656 |url=http://www.c-130.net/aircraft-database/C-130/airframe-profile/6627/ |website=C-130.net |access-date=20 June 2020}}</ref>

===Australia===
* C-130A RAAF A97-214 used by 36 Squadron from early 1959, withdrawn from use late 1978. Stored at RAAF Museum, RAAF Base Williams, Point Cook.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.airforce.gov.au/sites/g/files/net3736/f/minisite/static/1469/RAAFmuseum/exhibitions/external/lockheed1.htm|title=Lockheed C-130A Hercules A97-214|publisher=airforce.gov.au|access-date=13 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326161717/https://www.airforce.gov.au/sites/g/files/net3736/f/minisite/static/1469/RAAFmuseum/exhibitions/external/lockheed1.htm|archive-date=26 March 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Airframe scrapped in February 2022. Cockpit section preserved and gifted to National Vietnam Veterans Museum, Phillip Island.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.key.aero/article/last-australian-c-130a-scrapped|title=Last Australian C-130A scrapped|date=16 April 2022 |publisher=key.aero|access-date=16 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220627203019/https://www.key.aero/article/last-australian-c-130a-scrapped|archive-date=27 June 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>
* C-130E RAAF A97-160 used by 37 Squadron from August 1966, withdrawn from use November 2000; to [[RAAF Museum]], 14 November 2000, cocooned as of September 2005.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 62}}
*C-130H A97-011 delivered in October 1978, withdrawn from use December 2012 to [[RAAF Museum]], Point Cook where it is currently on display.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.airforce.gov.au/community/visit-and-learn/raaf-museum/exhibitions|title=Exhibitions - Royal Australia Air Force Museum|publisher=airforce.gov.au|access-date=16 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240410152358/https://www.airforce.gov.au/community/visit-and-learn/raaf-museum/exhibitions|archive-date=10 April 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Belgium ===
* C-130H Belgian Air Component tailnumber CH13 in service from 2009 until May 2021 is on display at the [[Beauvechain Air Base]] at the First Wing Historical Center.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://1winghistoricalcentre.be/|title=1WING HISTORICAL CENTRE Beauvechain - Bienvenue Welkom|website=1winghistoricalcentre.be}}</ref>

===Brazil===
* C-130H Brazilian Air Force FAB-2453 is on display at the [[Museu Aeroespacial]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]] since 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.fab.mil.br/musal/index.php/aeronaves-em-exposicao/55-avioes/391-c-130|title=C-130H Hércules Lockheed Aircraft Corporation|website=MUSAL}}</ref>

===Canada===
* CC-130E RCAF 10313 (later 130313) is on display at the [[National Air Force Museum of Canada]], [[CFB Trenton]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Hercules National Air Force Museum of Canada|url=http://airforcemuseum.ca/en/aircraft-2/hercules|website=National Air Force Museum of Canada|access-date=31 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210105149/http://airforcemuseum.ca/en/aircraft-2/hercules|archive-date=10 February 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* CC-130E RCAF 10307 (later 130307) is on display in the Reserve Hangar at the [[Canada Aviation and Space Museum]], Ottawa, Ontario<ref>{{cite web|title=Lockheed CC-130E Hercules|url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/artifact/lockheed-cc-130e-hercules|website=Ingenium Collection Highlights CC-103E|access-date=15 January 2020}}</ref>
* CC-130E RCAF 130328 is on display at the [[Greenwood Aviation Museum]], [[CFB Greenwood]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Hercules Greenwood Military Aviation Museum|url=http://www.gmam.ca/3-planes.html|website=Greenwood Military Aviation Museum|access-date=15 January 2020}}</ref>

===Colombia===
* C-130B FAC 1010 (serial number 3521) moved on 14 January 2016 to the Colombian Aerospace Museum in [[Tocancipá]], [[Cundinamarca Department|Cundinamarca]], for static display.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.aviationmuseum.eu/Blogvorm/museo-aeroespacial-colombiano/|title=Museo Aeroespacial Colombiano Tocancipá, Colombia|work=Aviationmuseum|access-date=26 May 2017|language=en-US}}</ref>
* C-130B FAC1011 (serial number 3585, ex 59–1535) preserved at the Colombian Air and Space Museum within [[El Dorado International Airport|CATAM AFB]], [[Bogotá]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.aviacol.net/historia-aviacion/el-museo-aeroespacial-colombiano.html|title=El Museo Aeroespacial Colombiano|last=TOPPER|first=Javier Franco|newspaper=El portal de la Aviación|language=es-ES|access-date=16 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118051631/http://www.aviacol.net/historia-aviacion/el-museo-aeroespacial-colombiano.html|archive-date=18 January 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Indonesia===
* C-130B Indonesian Air Force A-1301 preserved at Sulaeman Airstrip, Bandung. Also occasionally used for [[Paskhas]] Training. The airplane is relocated to Air Force Museum in Yogyakarta in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tni-au.mil.id/fuselage-c-130-hercules-1301-dalam-perjalanan-ke-muspusdirla/|title=Fuselage C-130 Hercules A-1301 Dalam Perjalanan ke Muspusdirla|last=Dispenau|website=TNI AU – TNI Angkatan Udara|access-date=30 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330131626/https://tni-au.mil.id/fuselage-c-130-hercules-1301-dalam-perjalanan-ke-muspusdirla/|archive-date=30 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

===New Zealand===
* C-130H(NZ) [[Royal New Zealand Air Force]],<ref>{{cite web |title=C-130H(NZ) Hercules |url=https://www.nzdf.mil.nz/nzdf/our-equipment/aircraft/c-130hnz-hercules/ |website=[[New Zealand Defence Force]] |access-date=20 February 2025}}</ref> aircraft NZ7001 was retired to the [[Air Force Museum of New Zealand|Air Force Museum]] making its final delivery flight into [[Wigram Aerodrome|Wigram]] on 19 February 2025, following 60 years service.<ref>{{cite news |title=C-130H Hercules lands in Christchurch |url=https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360587347/c-130h-hercules-lands-christchurch |access-date=20 February 2025 |publisher=The Press, Christchurch |date=19 February 2025}}</ref>

===Norway===
* C-130H Royal Norwegian Air Force 953 was retired on 10 June 2007 and moved to the Air Force museum at Oslo Gardermoen in May 2008.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 73}}

===Philippines===
* L-100-20 4512 Philippine Air Force on display at Mactan Air Base aircraft park.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.airhistory.net/photo/738870/4512 | title=Aircraft Photo of 4512 &#124; Lockheed L-100-20 Hercules (382E) &#124; Philippines - Air Force &#124; AirHistory.net #738870 }}</ref>

=== Poland ===

* C-130E number 1503 (serial number 70-1272), formerly operated by [[Polish Air Force]] and stationed at [[33rd Air Base]], retired on 30 July 2024. It is currently on display at the Polish Air Force Museum in Dęblin.<ref>{{Cite web |title=OBLECIAŁ CAŁY ŚWIAT, BY WYLĄDOWAĆ W DĘBLINIE: SAMOLOT C-130 HERCULES W MUZEUM SIŁ POWIETRZNYCH |url=https://muzeumsp.pl/aktualnosci/oblecial-caly-swiat-by-wyladowac-w-deblinie-samolot-c-130-hercules-w-muzeum-sil-powietrznych/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=MUZEUM SIŁ POWIETRZNYCH W DĘBLINIE |language=pl-PL}}</ref>

===Saudi Arabia===
[[File:C-130 at Riyath Air base Museum.jpg|thumb|C-130H at the [[Royal Saudi Air Force Museum]]]]
* C-130H RSAF 460 was operated by 4 Squadron [[Royal Saudi Air Force]] from December 1974 until January 1987. It was damaged in a fire at [[Jeddah]] in December 1989. Restored for ground training by August 1993. At [[Royal Saudi Air Force Museum]], November 2002, restored for ground display by using a tail from another C-130H.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 85}}

===United Kingdom===
* Hercules C3 ''XV202'' that served with the Royal Air Force from 1967 to 2011, is on display at the [[Royal Air Force Museum Cosford]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200727070751/http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford/news/article.cfm?headline=Hercules%20makes%20final%20flight%20into%20Cosfordm "Hercules makes final flight into Cosford"]. ''Royal Air Force Museum''. Retrieved 22 September 2011.</ref>

===United States===
[[File:23-04-199-C130E.jpg|thumb|C-130E at the [[Museum of Aviation (Warner Robins)|Museum of Aviation]]]]
* GC-130A, AF Ser. No. 55-037 used by the 773 TCS, 483 TCW, 315 AD, 374 TCW, 815 TAS, 35 TAS, 109 TAS, belly-landed at Duluth, Minnesota, April 1973, repaired; 167 TAS, 180 TAS, to Chanute Technical Training Center as GC-130A, May 1984; now displayed at [[Museum of Missouri Military History]], [[Missouri National Guard]] Ike Skelton Training Center, [[Jefferson City, Missouri]]. Previously displayed at [[Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum]], (former) [[Chanute AFB]], [[Rantoul, Illinois]] until museum closed.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 7}}<ref>{{cite web|title=USAF Serial Number Search (55-037)|url=http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1955.html|access-date=14 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216050542/http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1955.html|archive-date=16 February 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
* C-130A, AF Ser. No. 56-0518 used by the 314 TCW, 315 AD, 41 ATS, 328 TAS; to [[Republic of Vietnam Air Force]] 435 Transport Squadron, November 1972; holds the C-130 record for taking off with the most personnel on board, during the evacuation of SVN, 29 April 1975, with 452. Returned to USAF, 185 TAS, 105 TAS; Flown to [[Little Rock AFB]] on 28 June 1989. It was converted to a static display at the LRAFB Visitor Center, Arkansas by Sept. 1989.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://onlyinark.com/culture/last-herk-vietnam/|title=The Last Herk Out of Vietnam – Only in Arkansas|date=16 June 2017|access-date=21 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121125842/http://onlyinark.com/culture/last-herk-vietnam/|archive-date=21 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
* C-130A, AF Ser. No. 57-0453 was operated from 1958 to 1991, last duty with 155th TAS, 164th TAG, [[Tennessee Air National Guard]], Memphis International Airport/ANGB, Tennessee, 1976–1991, named "Nite Train to Memphis"; to AMARC in December 1991, then sent to Texas for modification into a replica of C-130A-II Dreamboat aircraft, AF Ser. No. 56-0528, [[1958 C-130 shootdown incident|shot down by Soviet fighters]] in Soviet airspace near [[Yerevan, Armenia]] on 2 September 1958, while on [[ELINT]] mission with loss of all crew, displayed in [[National Vigilance Park]], [[National Security Agency]] grounds, [[Fort George Meade]], [[Maryland]].{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 14}}
* C-130B, AF Ser. No. 59-0528 was operated by [[145th Airlift Wing]], [[North Carolina Air National Guard]]; placed on static display at [[Charlotte Air National Guard Base]], North Carolina in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.145aw.ang.af.mil/photos/mediagallery.asp?galleryID=10575|title=145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina ANG – Media Gallery|access-date=4 July 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225150829/http://www.145aw.ang.af.mil/photos/mediagallery.asp?galleryID=10575|archive-date=25 February 2015}}</ref>
* C-130D, AF Ser. No. 57-0490 used by the 61st TCS, 17th TCS, 139th TAS with skis, July 1975 – April 1983; to [[AMARC|MASDC]], 1984–1985, GC-130D ground trainer, [[Chanute AFB]], [[Illinois]], 1986–1990; When Chanute AFB closed in September 1993, it moved to the [[Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum]] (former [[Chanute AFB]]), [[Rantoul, Illinois]]. In July 1994, it moved to the [[Empire State Aerosciences Museum]], [[Schenectady County Airport]], New York, until placed on the gate at [[Stratton Air National Guard Base]] in October 1994.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 16}}
* NC-130B, AF Ser. No. 57-0526 was the second B model manufactured, initially delivered as JC-130B; assigned to 6515th Organizational Maintenance Squadron for flight testing at [[Edwards AFB]], California on 29 November 1960; turned over to 6593rd Test Squadron's Operating Location No. 1 at Edwards AFB and spent next seven years supporting Corona Program; "J" status and prefix removed from aircraft in October 1967; transferred to 6593rd Test Squadron at [[Hickam AFB]], Hawaii and modified for mid-air retrieval of satellites; acquired by [[6514th Test Squadron]] at [[Hill AFB]], Utah in Jan. 1987 and used as electronic testbed and cargo transport; aircraft retired January 1994 with 11,000+ flight hours and moved to [[Hill Aerospace Museum]] at [[Hill AFB]] by January 1994.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 19}}
* C-130E, AF Ser. No. 62-1787, on display at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]], [[Wright-Patterson AFB]], Ohio, was flown to the museum on 18 August 2011. One of the greatest feats of heroism during the [[Vietnam War]] involved the C-130E, call sign "Spare 617".{{refn|The aircrew of "Spare 617" were: Capt. William Caldwell, pilot; Lt. John Hering, co-pilot; Lt. Richard A. Lenz, navigator; Tech. Sgt. Jon Sanders, flight engineer, loadmasters Tech. Sgt. Charlie Shaub and A1C Dave McAleece|group=N}} The C-130E attempted to airdrop ammunition to surround South Vietnamese forces at An Loc, Vietnam. Approaching the drop zone, Spare 617 received heavy enemy ground fire that damaged two engines, ruptured a bleed air duct in the cargo compartment, and set the ammunition on fire. Flight engineer TSgt Sanders was killed, and navigator 1st Lt Lenz and co-pilot 1st Lt Hering were both wounded. Despite receiving severe burns from hot air escaping from the damaged air bleed duct, loadmaster TSgt Shaub extinguished a fire in the cargo compartment, and successfully jettisoned the cargo pallets, which exploded in mid-air. Despite losing a third engine on the final approach, pilot Capt Caldwell landed Spare 617 safely. For their actions, Caldwell and Shaub received the [[Air Force Cross (United States)|Air Force Cross]], the U.S. Air Force's second highest award for valor. TSgt Shaub also received the William H. Pitsenbarger Award for Heroism from the [[Air Force Sergeants Association]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110914075138/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=18724 "Factsheet: Lockheed C-130E Hercules"].  ''National Museum of the United States Air Force,'' 29 February 2011. {{US Air Force}}</ref>
* KC-130F, USN/USMC BuNo 149798 used in tests in October–November 1963 by the U.S. Navy for [[Arresting gear|unarrested]] landings and unassisted take-offs from the carrier [[USS Forrestal|USS ''Forrestal'' (CV-59)]], it remains the record holder for largest aircraft to operate from a carrier flight deck, and carried the name "Look Ma, No Hook" during the tests. Retired to the [[National Museum of Naval Aviation]], [[NAS Pensacola]], Florida in May 2003.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 30}}
* C-130G, USN/USMC BuNo 151891; modified to EC-130G, 1966, then testbed for EC-130Q TACAMO in 1981, then changed to TC-130G and used by Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VQ-3) for flight proficiency (bounce bird). In early 1991 it was transferred to AMMARG Davis-Monthan AFB Tucson, AZ. In May 1991 it was assigned as the U.S. Navy's [[Blue Angels]] USMC support aircraft, serving as "Fat Albert Airlines" from 1991 to 2002. Retired to the [[National Museum of Naval Aviation]] at NAS Pensacola, Florida in November 2002 where it remains on outside static display reflecting the BLUES colors.<ref name="olausson43" />
* C-130E, AF Ser. No. 64-0525 was on display at the 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum at [[Fort Bragg]], North Carolina. The aircraft was the last assigned to the 43rd AW at [[Pope AFB]], North Carolina before retirement from the USAF.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 52}}
* C-130E-LM, AF Ser. No. 64-0533 – Taken in December 1964 by 314th Troop Carrier Wing, Sewart AFB, TN. Last assigned to 37th Airlift Squadron, Rhein-Main AB, Germany. Transferred to [[Elmendorf Air Force Base|Elmendorf AFB]] for display, May 2004. Marked as 53-2453.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aerial Visuals - Airframe Dossier - |url=https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php |access-date=2025-07-07 |website=www.aerialvisuals.ca}}</ref>
* C-130E, AF Ser. No. 69-6579 operated by the 61st TAS, 314th TAW, 50th AS, 61st AS; at [[Dyess AFB]] as maintenance trainer as GC-130E, March 1998; to Dyess AFB Linear Air Park, January 2004.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 74}}
* MC-130E Combat Talon I, AF Ser. No. 64-0567, unofficially known as "Wild Thing". It transported captured Panamanian dictator [[Manuel Noriega]] in 1989 during Operation Just Cause and participated in Operation Eagle Claw, the unsuccessful attempt to rescue U.S. hostages from Iran in 1980. Wild Thing was also the first fixed-wing aircraft to employ night-vision goggles. On display at [[Hurlburt Field]], in Florida.<ref>[http://www.codeonemagazine.com/news_item.html?item_id=320 "Combat Talon Dedicated"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927081358/http://www.codeonemagazine.com/news_item.html?item_id=320 |date=27 September 2011}} ''Code One Magazine'', 6 May 2011.</ref>
* C-130E, AF Ser. No. 69-6580 operated by the 61st TAS, 314th TAW, 317th TAW, 314th TAW, 317th TAW, 40th AS, 41st AS, 43rd AW, retired after center wing cracks were detected in April 2002; to the [[Air Mobility Command Museum]], [[Dover AFB]], Delaware on 2 February 2004.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 74}}
* C-130E, AF Ser. No. 70-1269 was used by the 43rd AW and is on display at the Pope Air Park, [[Pope AFB]], North Carolina as of 2006.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 78}}
* C-130H, AF Ser. No. 74-1686 used by the 463rd TAW; one of three C-130H airframes modified to YMC-130H for an aborted rescue attempt of Iranian hostages, [[Operation Credible Sport]], with rocket packages blistered onto fuselage in 1980, but these were removed after the mission was canceled. Subsequent duty with the [[4950th Test Wing]], then donated to the [[Museum of Aviation (Warner Robins)|Museum of Aviation]] at [[Robins AFB]], Georgia, in March 1988.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 91}}
* C-130H, AF Ser. No. 88-4401 operated by the Ohio [[179th Airlift Wing]] has been retired and is on display at the [[MAPS Air Museum]] in [[North Canton, Ohio]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-09 |title=Lockheed C-130H "Hercules" - MAPS Air Museum |url=https://mapsairmuseum.org/lockheed-c-130h-hercules/ |access-date=2023-01-10 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* C-130H, AF Ser. No. 74-1662 crashed on August 17, 1996, shortly after takeoff from [[Jackson Hole Airport]].  Eight members of the Air Force, and one Secret Service Agent were killed.  The aircraft was supporting the [[United States Secret Service]] as part of visit by President [[Bill Clinton]] to the area.<ref>{{cite news|last=Jones II|first=Roy A.|title=Dyess C-130 crashes; no survivors|url=http://www.texnews.com/news/crash081896.html|access-date=22 January 2011|newspaper=[[Abilene Reporter-News]]|date=18 August 1996|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614100758/http://www.texnews.com/news/crash081896.html|archive-date=14 June 2011}}</ref>

==Specifications (C-130H)==
[[File:Lockheed C-130H Hercules Line Drawing.svg|thumb]]
[[File:C-130 Hercules cockpit hg.jpg|thumb|C-130H Hercules flight deck]]
[[File:Maple Flag 140527-F-XL333-502.jpg|thumb|C-130 [[loadmaster]] watches through the observation bubble]]
[[File:C-130 Hercules 10.jpg|thumb|A Hercules deploying flares, sometimes referred to as ''Angel Flares'' due to the characteristic pattern]]
[[File:Lockheed Hercules interior.jpg|thumb|Cargo compartment of a Swedish Air Force C-130]]

{{Aircraft specs
|ref= USAF C-130 Hercules fact sheet,<ref name="airforcefactsheet">{{cite web |title=C-130 Hercules |url=https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104517/c-130-hercules/ |year=2003 |edition=May 2014 |publisher= United States Air Force |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914210641/http://www.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/224/Article/104517/c-130-hercules.aspx |archive-date=14 September 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''International Directory of Military Aircraft'',<ref name="Frawley Military">Frawley 2002, p. 108.</ref> ''Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft'',<ref name= Donald>Donald 1997</ref> and ''Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft''.<ref name=Eden>Eden 2004</ref>
|prime units?=kts
<!--   General characteristics
-->
|crew=5 (2 pilots, [[CSO/navigator]], [[flight engineer]] and [[loadmaster]])
|capacity={{cvt|42000|lb}} payload
** C-130E/H/J cargo hold: length, {{convert|40|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}; width, {{convert|9|ft|11|in|m|2|abbr=on}}; height, {{convert|9|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}. Rear ramp: length, {{convert|123|in|m|2|abbr=on}}; width, {{convert|119|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
** C-130J-30 cargo hold: length, {{convert|55|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}; width, {{convert|9|ft|11|in|m|2|abbr=on}}; height, {{convert|9|ft|m|2|abbr=on}}. Rear ramp: length, {{convert|123|in|m|2}}; width, {{convert|119|in|m|2|abbr=on}}
** 92 [[passengers]] ''or''
** 64 [[airborne troops]] ''or''
** 74 litter patients with 5 medical crew ''or''
** 6 pallets ''or''
** 2–3 [[Humvee]]s ''or''
** 2 [[M113 armored personnel carrier]]s
** 1 [[CAESAR self-propelled howitzer]]
|length ft=97
|length in=9
|length note=
|span ft=132
|span in=7
|span note=
|height ft=38
|height in=3
|height note=
|wing area sqft=1745
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil='''root:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 64A318]]; '''tip:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 64A412]]<ref name="Selig">{{Cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |publisher=UIUC Applied Aerodynamics Group, University of Illinois |date=15 September 2010|access-date=16 April 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190326174850/https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |archive-date=26 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|empty weight lb=75800
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=155000
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
<!--   Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=4
|eng1 name=[[Allison T56]]-A-15
|eng1 type=[[turboprop]] engines
|eng1 kw=<!-- prop engines -->
|eng1 hp=<!-- prop engines -->
|eng1 shp=4590

|prop blade number=4
|prop name=[[Hamilton Standard]] 54H60 constant-speed fully feathering reversible propellers
|prop dia m=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia ft=13
|prop dia in=6
|prop dia note=<ref name="Lockheed Service News">{{Cite journal |title=The 54H60 Propeller |journal=Lockheed Martin Service News |year=1999 |last=Webb |first=L. R. |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=4–5 |access-date=13 August 2019 |url=https://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed-martin/aero/documents/sustainment/csc/service-news/sn-mag-v21-v30/v26n3.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813224721/https://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed-martin/aero/documents/sustainment/csc/service-news/sn-mag-v21-v30/v26n3.pdf |archive-date=2019-08-13 |url-status=live}}</ref>
<!--   Performance
-->
|max speed kts=320
|max speed note=at {{cvt|20000|ft}}
|max speed mach=<!-- supersonic aircraft -->
|cruise speed kts=292
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kts=
|minimum control speed note=
|range nmi=2050
|range note=
|combat range nmi=
|combat range note=
|ferry range nmi=3995
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=33000
|ceiling note= empty<ref name="aerospceweb">{{cite web |title=Lockheed C-130 Hercules Heavy Transport |url=http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/transport-m/c130/ |publisher=aerospaceweb.org |access-date=29 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109145041/http://www.aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/transport-m/c130/ |archive-date=9 January 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
::::{{cvt|23000|ft}} with&nbsp;{{cvt|42000|lb}} payload
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|glide ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|climb rate ftmin=1830
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|sink rate ftmin=<!-- sailplanes -->
|sink rate note=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|disk loading lb/sqft=
|disk loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=

|more performance=*'''Takeoff distance:''' {{cvt|3586|ft|0}} at {{cvt|155000|lb|0}} max gross weight;<ref name=Eden/>
::::{{cvt|1400|ft|0}} at {{cvt|80000|lb|0}} gross weight<ref name="uscost.netarchived">{{cite web |title=Aircraft Characteristics: C-130 Hercules |url=http://www.uscost.net/aircraftcharacteristics/acc130.htm |publisher=uscost.net |access-date=29 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727104754/http://www.uscost.net/aircraftcharacteristics/acc130.htm |archive-date=27 July 2009}}</ref>
|avionics=
* [[Westinghouse Electric (1886)|Westinghouse Electronic Systems]] [[List of radars#AN/APN Series|AN/APN-241 weather and navigational radar]]<ref name="elecsyssect">{{cite web |title=AN/APN-241 Color Weather/Navigation Radar with Prediction Windshear Detection |url=http://www.es.northropgrumman.com/solutions/apn241/index.html |publisher=Electronic systems sector, Northrop Grumman |access-date=29 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321234418/http://www.es.northropgrumman.com/solutions/apn241/index.html |archive-date=21 March 2008}}</ref>
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Aviation}}
{{Aircontent
|see also=
|related=
* [[Lockheed AC-130]]
* [[Lockheed DC-130]]
* [[Lockheed EC-130]]
* [[Lockheed EC-130H Compass Call]]
* [[Lockheed HC-130]]
* [[Lockheed L-100 Hercules]]
* [[Lockheed LC-130]]
* [[Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules]]
* [[Lockheed Martin KC-130]]
* [[Lockheed MC-130]]
* [[Lockheed RC-130 Hercules|Lockheed RC-130]]
* [[Lockheed WC-130]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[Antonov An-12]]
* [[Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy]]
* [[Blackburn Beverley]]
* [[Shaanxi Y-8]]
* [[Kawasaki C-1]]
* [[Short Belfast]]
* [[Transall C-160]]
|lists=
* [[List of accidents and incidents involving the Lockheed C-130 Hercules]]
* [[List of non-carrier aircraft flown from aircraft carriers]]
* [[List of United States military aerial refueling aircraft]]
* [[List of military electronics of the United States]]
}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=N}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* Borman, Martin W. ''Lockheed C-130 Hercules.'' Marlborough, UK: Crowood Press, 1999. {{ISBN|978-1-86126-205-9}}.
* Diehl, Alan E., PhD, Former Senior USAF Safety Scientist. ''Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents and Their Cover-ups.'' Dulles, Virginia: Brassey's Inc., 2002. {{ISBN|1-57488-544-8}}.
* Donald, David, ed. "Lockheed C-130 Hercules". ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997. {{ISBN|0-7607-0592-5}}.
* Eden, Paul. "Lockheed C-130 Hercules". ''Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft.'' London: Amber Books, 2004. {{ISBN|1-904687-84-9}}.
* Frawley, Gerard. ''The International Directory of Military Aircraft, 2002/03''. Fyshwick, ACT, Australia: Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 2002. {{ISBN|1-875671-55-2}}.
* [[Olausson, Lars]]. ''Lockheed Hercules Production List 1954–2011''. Såtenäs, Sweden: Self-published, 27th Edition March 2009. No ISBN.
* {{cite book|last=Olausson|first= Lars|author-link=Lars Olausson|title=Lockheed Hercules Production List 1954–2012|location= Såtenäs, Sweden|publisher= Self-published|edition= 28th|date= March 2010}}
* {{cite journal|title=Pentagon Over the Islands: The Thirty-Year History of Indonesian Military Aviation|journal=Air Enthusiast Quarterly |date=n.d. |issue=2 |pages=154–162 |issn=0143-5450}}
* Reed, Chris. ''Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Its Variants''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1999. {{ISBN|978-0-7643-0722-5}}.

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/c130.html Lockheed Martin official C-130 page]
* [https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1555054/c-130-hercules/ U.S. Air Force C-130 fact sheet]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050527203450/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&tid=500&ct=1 C-130 U.S. Navy fact file], and [https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195985/lockheed-c-130e-hercules/ C-130E Hercules Fact Sheet, National Museum of the Air Force site]
* [http://www.c-130hercules.net C-130hercules.net]
* [http://amcmuseum.org/at-the-museum/aircraft/c-130e-hercules/ C-130 page on amcmuseum.org]
* [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954%20-%203265.html "Herculean Transport"] a 1954 ''Flight'' article
* {{YouTube|BjNyQvhsQE8| C-130 takes off and lands on a Carrier USS Forrestal}}
* {{British pathe|id=63598|v=lvM5c9HN0RI|d= Newsreel footage from 1955 of blunt nose Hercules prototype|year=1955}}
* {{Internet Archive short film|id=gov.dod.dimoc.26961|name=Staff Film Report 66-12A (1966)}}
* [https://airforcemuseum.co.nz/blog/mighty-hercules-nz7001-lands-at-wigram/ RNZAF C-130H (NZ) Hercules NZ7001] retired and on display at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand
* Hercules [https://youtube.com/watch?v=L6Mz0VP4U0c comparison (C-130H and C-130J) | Royal New Zealand Air Force]

{{Lockheed Hercules}}
{{Lockheed}}
{{AircraftDesignationNavboxShell
|1={{USAF transports}}
|2={{USAF system codes}}
|3={{USN transports}}
|4={{USN utility aircraft 1955}}
|5={{lone designation|system=[[United States Navy]] tanker aircraft pre-1962|designation=GV}}
|6={{Swedish military aircraft designations}}
|7={{CF aircraft}}
|8={{Thai transport aircraft designations}}
|9={{Spanish transport aircraft}}
|10={{ADF aircraft designations}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Lockheed C-130 Hercules| ]]
<!-- [[Category:Lockheed aircraft]] Linking this category here is redundant since Category:Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a child of Category:Lockheed aircraft. -->
[[Category:Lockheed Martin aircraft|C-130 Hercules]]
[[Category:1950s United States military transport aircraft|Lockheed C-130 Hercules]]
[[Category:Four-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:High-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Four-engined turboprop aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1954]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear]]