The "Four Fans of Freedom"

The "Herk" has been the backbone of America's airlift force for several decades. It has played a large role in every major U.S. combat action after Korea, and it has participated in innumerable skirmishes and non-combat operations.

Most U.S. allies have C-130's and even some of our enemies have them. The Soviet Union copied the design for one of their planes, the Antonov An-12 Cub.

There are many models of the C-130, including the AC-130 (gunship), HC-130 (air-refueller), LC-130 (ski-equipped), MC-130 (special operations), and WC-130 (weather research).  There are several models for the basic "slick" aircraft: A, B, E, and now J. Lockheed is reportedly currently at work on a next-generation model.  Even though a few pilots might think so, there is no such thing as an F-130 (single-seat fighter).

The C-130 is one of the few Vietnam-era airplanes in service in the U.S. military. Why is that? Because the Herk is one of the most versatile planes ever made. And it is excellent at most of the jobs it does. Here are a few pictures of what the Herk can do:

Here is a C-130 dropping U.S. Army Airborne Paratroopers, America's most potent combat weapon. The C-130 can carry 64 combat-equipped paratroopers and drop their full load in as little as 30 seconds. In formation, Herks cross the drop zone at about 10-second intervals. This means that C-130's can deliver a whole lot of soldiers in a short time. So if you're a communist, be afraid.

This is a series of pictures showing heavy equipment being extracted from the plane. The C-130 can drop a piece of heavy equipment that weighs up to 42 thousand pounds, or a series of heavy equipment pallets. To drop a "heavy", one or more extraction chutes are released out the back of the plane. These chutes pull the load out and deploy the main parachutes. The extraction chutes are up to 28 feet in diameter, and if the equipment jams and does not extract, the pilot chutes put up enough drag to force an immediate and abrupt landing.

This is a C-130 performing a CDS (Container Delivery System) drop.  These containers are about 4-foot cubes.  They fall at a high rate of speed and are cushioned by corrugated cardboard attached to the bottom.  They are extracted from the plane by gravity, which requires the pilot to fly the plane in a nose-up attitude, very close to a stall.  This type of drop is used for resupplying troops in the field, and allows the plane and the load to stay relatively covert.  These are made at the lowest altitude of any type of drop; usually around 400 feet above the ground.

This is a LAPES extraction.  LAPES stands for Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System.  This technique was developed during the Vietnam war to allow the C-130 to resupply LZ's  (landing zones) without landing and being subject to mortar fire.  It involves the plane flying along the landing strip a few feet off the ground, and the load being extracted by pilot chutes, much the same way as a heavy equipment drop.  The U.S. military no longer performs this maneuver. 

This is a RAAF C-130 landing on an unimproved dirt landing strip.  The C-130 can reverse the blade angle on the props to create aerodynamic braking, allowing it to land in less than 3,000 feet.

Here's a picture of a C-130 flying low-level through the mountains.  This is the standard way to get to a drop zone (DZ) or landing zone (LZ) in hostile territory.  Visual low-levels are flown at 300 feet above the ground.  This reduces the chance of the enemy sighting us visually or with a radar, and reduces our exposure to threats, like small arms or surface-to-air missiles.  Also, it's fun to scare animals and small children on the ground.  

This is a USMC KC-130 refuelling a USMC HH-53-variant. The chopper flies the refuelling probe (sticking out from the front) into the basket attached to the fuel line, and the herk pumps gas into the helicopter. This is the most unnatural act known to man.

This is a C-130 being refueled inflight. This is also very unnatural.  MC-130s (special operations) and EC-130s (electronic combat) have this capability. Lucky aircrews on these planes can stay in the air indefinitely.  The plane in this picture appears to be an EC-130, based on the grey paint scheme.

This is a Marine Corps C-130 taking off using JATO (Jet-Assisted Take-Off) rockets.  These give the plane extra power to take off when carrying a heavy cargo load.  "Fat Albert," the Blue Angels' C-130 does this at airshows.  Air Force pilots have enough skill that they do not need to use these.

This is a C-130 jettisoning its load of flares.   According to alert reader Klattmandu, "This is a MC-130E Combat Talon I, based on the refueling pods on the wings and the ECM pods mounted on the bottom of the external fuel tanks."  The Herk carries flares to distract infrared-guided surface-to-air missiles.  The heat from the flares causes the missile to track on that, rather than on the heat from the engine.  C-130s are sent into hostile areas, and the flares ensure that some two-bit commie punk doesn't hose the mission.

This is an LC-130 at the south pole. These planes resupply the scientific teams (or whoever they are) living at the South Pole.  They land on the snow pack, so they are equipped with skis rather than landing gear.  This means that they have no brakes and can stop only by reversing the pitch of the propellers.  C-130s cannot land on Antarctica during their summer because the snow and ice won't support the weight.  The ANG unit out of Schenectady, NY (pictured) does this mission, as does the Italian AF.

This a C-130 dropping fire retardant to battle a forest fire.  Many civilian C-130s are used for this.  ANG units out of Channel Islands, CA and Cheyenne, WY also perform this mission.

This is a picture of a C-130 taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal.  This was part of a feasibility study done in the 1960's to determine if C-130's could be operated from carriers.  You have to be a Navy guy to think this is a good idea.  There's lots of information and videos and pictures the "Super-COD" at this website:

http://www.theaviationzone.com/facts/forrestal.htm#videos

This is a picture of a C-130 from the Vietnam War, and a present-day patch worn by some people.  Many C-130s  now in service were built in the 1960's and spent time in Vietnam.  Would you trust your life to a 40-year old machine?

This is the C-130 that is on static display at the front gate of Little Rock AFB, Arkansas.  LRAFB is where all US C-130 crewmembers go to get their initial Herk training.  Below is a history of this plane:

A SHORT HISTORY OF C-130A, TAIL # 56-0518 "LAST HERK OUT OF VIETNAM"

The C-130A Hercules, tail # 56-0518, was the 126th built by Lockheed Aircraft corp. of Marietta, Georgia. It was accepted into the Air Force inventory on 23 August 1957.

It was assigned to the 314th Troop Carrier Wing at Sewart AFB, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1972. On 2 November 1972, it was given to the South Vietnamese Air Force as part of the Military Assistance Program. A few years later, the aircraft would be involved in a tremendously historic flight.

On 29 April 1975,this Herk was the last out of Vietnam during the fall of Saigon. With over 100 aircraft destroyed on the flight line at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, some of them still burning, it was the last flyable C-130 remaining. In a very panicked state, hundreds of people were rushing to get aboard, as the aircraft represented a final ticket to freedom.

People hurriedly crowded into the Herk, packing in tighter and tighter. Eventually, the loadmaster informed the pilot, Major Phuong, a South Vietnamese instructor pilot, that he could not get the rear ramp closed due to the number of people standing on it. In a moment of inspiration, Major Phuong slowly taxied forward, then hit the brakes. The loadmaster called forward again stating he had successfully got the doors closed.

In all, 452 people were on board, including a staggering 32 in the cockpit alone. Using a conservative estimate of 100 pounds per person, it translated into an overload of at least 10,000 pounds. Consequently, the Herk used every bit of the runway and overrun before it was able to get airborne.

The target was Thailand, which should have been 1:20 in flight time, but after an hour and a half, the aircraft was over the Gulf of Slam, and they were clearly lost. Finally, a map was located, they identified some terrain features, and they were able to navigate. They landed at Utapao, Thailand after a three and a half hour flight.

Ground personnel were shocked at what "fell out" as they opened the doors. It was clear that a longer flight would almost certainly have resulted in a loss of life. In the end, however, all 452 people made it to freedom aboard this historic C-130.

Upon landing, the aircraft was reclaimed by the United States Air Force and was assigned to two different Air National Guard units for the next 14 years. On 28 June 1989, it made its final flight to Little Rock Air Force Base, current home of the 314th Airlift Wing, and was placed on static display.

- Author Unknown

This is the YMC-130H "Credible Sport", a Herk specially modified with acceleration and deceleration rockets.  This was the plane the US was planning to use for a second raid into Iran in the late 1970's to rescue the hostages.  The rockets were supposed to enable it to land and then takeoff again in the soccer stadium in Teheran.  You can see the acceleration rockets under the tail and behind & below the wings. The deceleration rockets are in the pods in front of the wings.  There is a recently declassified video of the test-flight of this plane that shows it crashing and catching on fire when it lands.  Not a successful test, but still very impressive.  The US was going to build a new one, but the project was cancelled due to word that Iran was going to release the hostages.

This is the EC-130V, only one of which was made. The big disk is an airborne radar.  This plane was made by the US Air Force, but it's currently being used by the Navy.

These are pictures of early C-130s.  The picture on the left is the YC-130, which was the original prototype.  It doesn't have the nosecone for the radar. The picture on the right, taken in 1957, is a Royal Australian Air Force C-130A, the first production model of the Herk.  It had 3-bladed props and a side-loading cargo door on the left side, in front of the wing.

This is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-130 air-dropping bales of hay.  I have no idea what the deal is with this.

This is an AC-130 gunship, raining death upon hapless Communists.  I'm real glad these guys are on my side.

This is a picture of the Russian Antonov An-12 Cub.

The lazy, unoriginal communists just

copied the C-130 design to

come up with this plane.

Links to other C-130 sites:

C-130 history and technical information - This site is run by the Department of Defense and has a lot of good information, plus some pictures and links to other sites.

Back in the 'Nam - This is a first-hand story about a C-130 crew in Vietnam that had a seriously whacked airplane.

More C-130's than you can handle - This is a very extensive C-130 page, with patches, squadron information, a message board, and a lot more.  Check it out.

Base Ops - Monkeyplan is for losers.  Use this instead.

Nav Gouge - This site has a bunch of forms and cheat-sheets for C-130 navigators.

More links - This page has a lot of links to other good C-130 sites.

THIS WEB PAGE IS UNCLASSIFIED

This webpage is not affiliated with, or sanctioned by, the US Air Force, the US Army, the US Navy, the US Marine Corps, the US Coast Guard,  or any other government agency (as far as you know).  It is definitely not sanctioned by the Royal Australian Air Force because they didn't like the smart-ass comment I have on here about their airdrop.  All images and information contained within are in the public domain.  All comments are made in jest only (USMC, RAAF, USN, HC-130 crewmembers, MH-53J crewmembers, animals, and small children need not be insulted), except for ones about communists - they really do suck.

Thanks for visiting my website.  If you have any questions or comments, email me at mkonvalin@aol.com.