Today we’re going to discuss The Most Successful Military Airlifter Ever, “C-130 Hercules”
The creation of the C-130 Hercules came about largely as a result of America’s experience
in the Korean War. U.S. forces fighting along the 38th parallel dividing North and South
Korea quickly discovered that their aerial transports were ill-equipped for the missions
at hand. Some were too heavy. Some needed longer runways for takeoffs and landings.
Others had weight restrictions, which prevented them from transporting bulky supplies or large
numbers of soldiers. What the U.S. military needed was a single versatile aircraft that
could be used for any and all transportation needs one aircraft that would perform the
role of many. Like in this video, an amazing impression did when Lt. James H. Flatley III
landed the 85,000-pound behemoth on the USS Forrestal (CVA-59). He parked a bus in a compact
space. And he made it look easy. This is a great achievement that Lockheed’s Hercules
accomplished. The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American
four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed.
Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed
as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport aircraft. The versatile airframe has found uses in a
variety of other roles, including as a gunship (AC-130), for airborne assault, search and
rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime
patrol, and aerial firefighting. It is now the main tactical airlifter 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 family has participated in numerous military, civilian and humanitarian
aid operations. In 2007, the C-130 became the fifth aircraft to mark 50 years of continuous
service with its original primary customer, which for the C-130 is the United States Air
Force. The C-130 Hercules is the longest continuously produced military aircraft at over 60 years,
with the updated Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules currently being produced.
Two things have made Hercules unique. First, it was conceived as a rugged, versatile airlifter
that could meet the transport needs of diverse users by landing almost anywhere with 20 tons
of cargo. Second, the Air Force and Lockheed continuously invested in new technology to
improve the plane's performance for six straight decades. So over time, it became more than
just a mover of people and things, also it became an aerial refueler for the Marine Corps,
a covert insertion or extraction asset for Air Force special operators, a search-and-rescue
plane for the Coast Guard, a gunship for supporting soldiers on the ground, and a hurricane hunter
for the Weather Service. Seriously, the plane looks capable of doing
almost anything. It resupplies bases in Antarctica using skis as landing gear. It conducts harrowing
medical evacuations in the hot and dusty climate of Afghanistan. It flies at treetop level
to drop flame retardants on forest fires in national parks. It has even been used to deliver
"shock and awe" munitions against the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, weapons so big that they
wouldn't fit on the planes in the U.S. bomber fleet. All of these missions have been accomplished
while sustaining one of the lowest accident rates of any U.S. military aircraft.Now, let's
talk about the design features of the C-130 Hercules.
In its personnel carrier role, the C-130 can accommodate 92 combat troops or 64 fully equipped
paratroops on side-facing seats. For medical evacuations, it carries 74 litter patients
and two medical attendants. Paratroopers exit the aircraft through two doors on either side
of the aircraft behind the landing-gear fairings. Another exit is off the rear ramp for airdrops.
The C-130 can deliver personnel, equipment or supplies either by landing or by various
aerial delivery modes. Three primary methods of aerial delivery are
used for equipment.  In the first, parachutes pull the load,
weighing up to 42,000 pounds, from the aircraft.  The second method, called the Container
Delivery System, uses the force of gravity to pull from one to 16 bundles of supplies
from the aircraft.  The Low Altitude Parachute Extraction
System is the third aerial delivery method. The C-130's design maximum gross weight is
155,000 pounds or 175,000 pounds wartime with a normal landing weight of 130,000 pounds.
The operating weight is approximately 80,000 pounds. The airplane is capable of airlifting
92 ground troops, 64 fully equipped paratroopers, or 74 litter patients. It can also carry 45,000
pounds of cargo. In addition, the C-130 fuselage has a semi-monocoque design and divided into
a flight station and a cargo compartment. Seating is provided for each flight station.
The cargo compartment is approximately 41 feet long, 9 feet high, and 10 feet wide.
Loading is from the rear of the fuselage. Both the flight station and the cargo compartment
can be pressurized to maintain a cabin pressure altitude of 5000 feet at an aircraft altitude
of 28,000 feet. While the aircraft dimensions: the c-130 has 132 feet 7 inches wingspan,
97 feet 9 inches in length, 38 feet 5 inches in height, and 52 feet 8 inches in the horizontal
stabilizer. And no less important is about power plant
and propellers: prior to the c-130j, c-130 Hercules is provided with four Allison turboprop
engines are attached to the wings. The engine nacelles have cowl panels and access doors
forward of a vertical firewall. Clam-Shell doors are located aft of the vertical firewall.
Air enters the engine through a scoop assembly at the front of the nacelle. Whereas its propellers:
also prior to the C-130J, the C-130 is equipped with four Hamilton Standard Electro-Hydromatic,
constant-speed, full feathering, reversible-pitch propellers are installed on each engine.
And the last point we are going to talk about its service life.
Although service life computations are not used to determine grounding or airframe restrictions,
the Air Force does use service life estimates as a planning tool to anticipate when major
aircraft structural events can be expected. A key issue is the structural service life
of the C-130 airframes, which depends on mission severity, fatigue, and corrosion factors.
A severity factor accounts for the difference between normal civilian flying and military
flying which is low level, shortfield landings, and etc. Mission profile determines the severity
factor, which is averaged over the aircraft's most recent two year history. This translates
airframe clock hours into equivalent airframe damage hours which indicate the higher aging
rate of the military airframes. On average, Active C-130 aircraft fly approximately 600
hours per year, while ARC C-130E and C-130H aircraft fly about 375 hours and 450 hours
per year, respectively. Currently, the critical fatigue component
for the C-130 fleet is the center wing box, which is structurally more susceptible to
the stresses of mission profile and payload. The center wing box has a limit of 60,000
relative baseline hours. A corrosion limit of 40,000 flight hours is based on historical
data and engineering judgment. It considers corrosion factors not considered in airframe
fatigue analysis. Actual airframe service life depends on which limit, fatigue or corrosion,
is reached first. The average age of the active-duty C-130 fleet
is over 25 years old, while the average age of Guard and Reserve C-130s is 15 years old.
The average age of the C-130E model is over 28 years and the average flying time is approximately
19,800 hours; the newest E-model being produced in 1972. Based on projected operations tempo
and overall mission severity, C-130E aircraft have an average remaining service life of
15 years. Material solutions such as selective repair, a service life extension program (SLEP),
or procurement of new aircraft are several ways to influence and resolve aging of the
C-130 fleet. We can conclude that this perfect airlifter
has enjoyed an incredible career, and continues to serve some 60 nations in a variety of roles.
Thank for watching.