The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft that entered United States Air Force service in 1956 and, as of the mid-2020s, remains the longest continuously produced military aircraft in history, with more than 2,700 built and the type flown by over sixty nations. Lockheed named the aircraft Hercules after the Greek mythological hero celebrated for his strength and endurance, and its adaptable airframe has also been built into gunship, aerial refueling and search-and-rescue variants over its long production run, beyond its core role in troop transport, medical evacuation and cargo hauling. The Hercules has served in essentially every major conflict and humanitarian relief operation involving the United States and its allies since the late 1950s, valued above all for the reliability and short-field performance that let it operate from airstrips too small or rough for most other large military aircraft.
Facts
Weapon ClassMilitary transport aircraft 1 Introduced Year Classification
Service Status Weapon Class
Weapon Class (category)Military Transport Aircraft 1 Connections
Operated By
Source Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Wikipedia
Source Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Wikipedia
Source Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Wikipedia
Source Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Wikipedia
Used In
Gulf War, Wars Source Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Wikipedia
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Lockheed C-130 Hercules, Wikipedia
Lead paragraph
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American, four-engined, turboprop, military transport aircraft
Operational history, service entry
The C-130 entered service with the U.S. in 1956
service-status
status = In service
- Weapon class classified from the entity's own sourced description text.
Used In: Gulf War, Wikipedia article text
During the Gulf War of 1991 (Operation Desert Storm), the C-130 Hercules was used operationally by the USAF, US Navy, and USMC, along with the air forces of Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and the UK.
Operated By: United States Navy, Wikipedia article text
The C-130R and C-130T are US Navy and USMC models, both equipped with underwing external fuel tanks.
Operated By: United States Marine Corps, Wikipedia article text
The KC-130 tankers, originally C-130F procured for the US Marine Corps (USMC) in 1958 (under the designation GV-1) are equipped with a removable stainless steel fuel tank carried inside the cargo compartment.
Operated By: Royal Air Force, Wikipedia article text
The equivalent model for export to the UK is the C-130K, known by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as the Hercules C.1.
Operated By: United States Air Force, Wikipedia article text
In 2007, the transport 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 (USAF).
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