The versital C-130 has been in service with the U. S. Air Force, Navy, Marine, Corps, and Coast Guard. The C-130 was originally designed as an assault transport capable of operating from unpaved, hastily prepared airstrips. On Aug. 23, 1954, the Hercules made its first flight, and by 1976 more than 1,200 C-130s had been ordered, including ones equipped for radar weather mapping and reconnaissance, mid-air space capsule recovery, search and rescue, ambulance service, drone launching, and mid-air refueling of helicopters. The C-130 could transport up to 92 combat troops and their gear or 45,000 pounds of cargo. Where facilities were inadequate, the Hercules could deliver its cargo by parachute or by low altitude ground-cable extraction without landing. Twenty-eight C-130s were converted to side-firing gunships, primarily for night attacks against ground targets. There are more than 40 versions of the Hercules, and it is widely used by more than 50 nations.

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SPECIFICATIONS:

Span: 132 ft. 7 in.

Length: 97 ft. 10 in.

Height: 38 ft. 6 in.

Weight: 124,200 lbs. maximum

Armament: Two 7.62mm mini-guns, two 20mm and two 40mm cannons and one 105mm cannon

Engines: Four Allison T-56-A-11 turboprops of 4,050 hp

Cost: $5,240,000 ($2,740,000 for a basic C-130A)

PERFORMANCE:

Maximum speed: 380 mph

Cruising speed: 335 mph

Range: 2,500 miles

Service ceiling: 33,000 ft.