Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995.
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It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Lockheed Martin employs 123,000 people worldwide. Robert J. Stevens is the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
Lockheed Martin is one of the world's largest defense contractors; HP Pavilion dv7-4030er Battery
In 2009, 74% of Lockheed Martin's revenues came from military sales.[1] It received 7.1% of the funds paid out by the Pentagon.[2]
Lockheed Martin operates in four business segments. These comprise, with respective percentages of 2009 total net sales of $45.2 billion, Aeronautics (27%), HP Pavilion dv7-4030ew Battery
Electronic Systems (27%), Information Systems & Global Solutions (27%), and Space Systems (19%). In 2009 US Government contracts accounted for $38.4 billion (85%), foreign government contracts $5.8 billion (13%), and commercial and other contracts for $900 million (2%).[3] In both 2009 and 2008 the company topped the list of US Federal Contractors. HP Pavilion dv7-4030ss Battery
The company has received the Collier Trophy six times. Most recently (in 2001) for being part of developing the X-35/F-35B LiftFan Propulsion System,[4][5][6] and again in 2006 for leading the team that developed the F-22 Raptor fighter jet. HP Pavilion dv7-4031eo Battery
Merger talks between Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta began in March 1994, with the companies announcing their $10 billion planned merger on August 30, 1994.[7] The deal was finalized on March 15, 1995 when the two companies' shareholders approved the merger.[8] HP Pavilion dv7-4031sd Battery
The segments of the two companies not retained by the new company formed the basis for the present L-3 Communications, a mid-size defense contractor in its own right. Lockheed Martin later spun off the materials company Martin Marietta Materials. HP Pavilion dv7-4031tx Battery
Both companies contributed important products to the new portfolio. Lockheed products included the Trident missile, P-3 Orion, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-22 Raptor, C-130 Hercules, A-4AR Fightinghawk and the DSCS-3 satellite. HP Pavilion dv7-4032eo Battery
Martin Marietta products included Titan rockets, Sandia National Laboratories (management contract acquired in 1993), Space Shuttle External Tank, Viking 1 and Viking 2 landers, the Transfer Orbit Stage (under subcontract to Orbital Sciences Corporation) and various satellite models. HP Pavilion dv7-4033tx Battery
On April 22, 1996, Lockheed Martin completed the acquisition of Loral Corporation's defense electronics and system integration businesses for $9.1 billion, the deal having been announced in January. The remainder of Loral became Loral Space & Communications.[9] HP Pavilion dv7-4034tx Battery
Lockheed Martin abandoned plans for a $8.3 billion merger with Northrop Grumman on July 16, 1998, due to government concerns over the potential strength of the new group; Lockheed/Northrop would have had control of 25% of the Department of Defense's procurement budget.[10] HP Pavilion dv7-4035es Battery
Lockheed Martin provided NASA with measurements in US Customary force units when metric was expected, resulting in the loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter at a cost of $125 million.[11][12] The cost for spacecraft development was $193.1 million. HP Pavilion dv7-4035sa Battery
In May 2001, Lockheed Martin sold Lockheed Martin Control Systems to BAE Systems. On November 27, 2000, Lockheed completed the sale of its Aerospace Electronic Systems business to BAE Systems for $1.67 billion, a deal announced in July 2000. HP Pavilion dv7-4035so Battery
This group encompassed Sanders Associates, Fairchild Systems, and Lockheed Martin Space Electronics & Communications.[14][15]
In 2001, Lockheed Martin won the contract to build the F-35 Lightning II; this was the largest fighter aircraft procurement project since the F-16, HP Pavilion dv7-4035tx Battery
with an initial order of 3,000 worth some $200 billion before export orders.
In 2001, Lockheed Martin settled a nine year investigation conducted by NASA's Office of Inspector General with the assistance of the Defense Contract Audit Agency. HP Pavilion dv7-4036tx Battery
The company paid the United States government $7.1 million based on allegations that its predecessor, Lockheed Engineering Science Corporation, submitted false lease costs claims to NASA.[16] HP Pavilion dv7-4038ca Battery
On May 12, 2006, The Washington Post reported that when Robert Stevens took control of Lockheed Martin in 2004, he faced the dilemma that within 10 years 100,000 of the about 130,000 Lockheed Martin employees – more than three-quarters – would be retiring.[17] HP Pavilion dv7-4038tx Battery
On August 31, 2006, Lockheed Martin won a $3.9 billion contract from NASA to design and build the CEV capsule, also known asOrion – the next spacecraft for human flight – for the Ares I rocket in the Constellation Program. HP Pavilion dv7-4039tx Battery
On August 13, 2008, Lockheed Martin acquired the government business unit of Nantero, Inc., a company that had developed methods and processes for incorporatingcarbon nanotubes in next-generation electronic devices.[18] In 2009, Lockheed Martin bought Unitech. HP Pavilion dv7-4040ed Battery
On November 18, 2010, Lockheed Martin announced that it would be closing its Eagan, MN location by 2013 in order to drive down costs and optimize capacity at their locations nationwide.[19] HP Pavilion dv7-4040ek Battery
In January 2011, Lockheed Martin agreed to pay the US Government $2 million to settle allegations that the company submitted false claims on a U.S. government contract for that amount. The allegations came from a contract with the Naval Oceanographic Office Major Shared Resource Center in Mississippi.[20] HP Pavilion dv7-4040sa Battery
On May 28, 2011 it was reported that a cyber-attack using previously stolen EMC files had broken through to sensitive materials at the contractor.[21] It is unclear if the Lockheed incident is the specific prompt whereby on June 1, 2011, the new United States military strategy, makes explicit that a cyberattack iscasus belli for a traditional act of war. HP Pavilion dv7-4040sb Battery
Government contracts
Lockheed Martin is active in many aspects of government contracting. It "received $36 billion in government contracts in 2008 alone, more than any company in history. HP Pavilion dv7-4040sf Battery
It now does work for more than two dozen government agencies from the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy to the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency. It's involved in surveillance and information processing for the CIA, the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service(IRS), HP Pavilion dv7-4040sp Battery
the National Security Agency (NSA), the Pentagon, the Census Bureau and the Postal Service."[2]
Corporate governance
Current members of the board of directors of Lockheed Martin are: Edward Aldridge, Nolan Archibald, Marcus Bennett, James O. Ellis, Gwendolyn King, HP Pavilion dv7-4040ss Battery
James Loy, Douglas McCorkindale, Eugene Murphy, Joseph Ralston, Frank Savage, Anne Stevens, Robert J. Stevens, James Ukropina and Douglas Yearley.
Lockheed "ranks number one on the 'contractor misconduct' database maintained by the Project on Government Oversight, a Washington-DC-based watchdog group." HP Pavilion dv7-4040tx Battery
Since 1995, the company has agreed to pay $577 million to settle fifty-four instances of misconduct.[23]
Lobbying
The company's 2010 lobbying expenditure by the third quarter was $9.9 million (2009 total: $13.7 million).[24][25] HP Pavilion dv7-4045ea Battery
Through its political action committee, the company provides low levels of financial support to candidates who advocate national defense and relevant business issues.[26] It is "the top contributor to the incoming House Armed Services Committee chairman, Republican Howard P. HP Pavilion dv7-4045eb Battery
'Buck' McKeon of California, giving more than $50,000 in the most recent election cycle. It also tops the list of donors to Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI), the powerful chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and the self-described '#1 earmarks guy in the US Congress.'"[2] HP Pavilion dv7-4045er Battery
Lockheed Martin Employees Political Action Committee is one of the 50 most generous PACs in the country, according to FEC data. With contributions from 3,000 employees, it donates $500,000 a year to about 260 House and Senate candidates. HP Pavilion dv7-4047ea Battery
For the 2004 election cycle, Lockheed's PAC has already contributed $350,279 to federal candidates, with about 62 percent going to Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. HP Pavilion dv7-4050ea Battery
That compares with $515,000 from General Dynamics' political action committee and $122,850 from BAE Systems North America, the center's data showed.
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. HP Pavilion dv7-4050eb Battery
Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport aircraft. The versatileairframe has found uses in a variety of other roles, including as a gunship (AC-130), for airborne assault,search and rescue, HP Pavilion dv7-4050ec Battery
scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol andaerial firefighting. It is now the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. Over 40 models and variants of the Hercules serve with more than 60 nations. HP Pavilion dv7-4050ed Battery
The C-130 entered service with U.S. in the 1950s, followed by Australia and others. During its years of service, the Hercules family has participated in countless military, civilian and humanitarian aid operations. The family has the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft in history. HP Pavilion dv7-4050ei Battery
In 2007, the C-130 became the fifth aircraft—after the English Electric Canberra, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Tupolev Tu-95, andBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker—to mark 50 years of continuous use with its original primary customer, in this case, the United States Air Force. HP Pavilion dv7-4050em Battery
The C-130 is also the only military aircraft to remain in continuous production for 50 years with its original customer, as the updated C-130J Super Hercules.
Background and requirements
The Korean War, which began in June 1950, showed that World War II-era piston-engine transports—Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars, HP Pavilion dv7-4050eo Battery
Douglas C-47 Skytrains andCurtiss C-46 Commandos—were inadequate for modern warfare. Thus on 2 February 1951, the United States Air Force issued a General Operating Requirement (GOR) for a new transport to Boeing, HP Pavilion dv7-4050er Battery
Douglas, Fairchild, Lockheed, Martin, Chase Aircraft, North American, Northrop, and Airlifts Inc. The new transport would have a capacity for 92 passengers, 72 combat troops or 64 paratroopers in a cargo compartment that was approximately 41 feet (12 m) long, 9 feet (2.7 m) high, and 10 feet (3.0 m) wide. HP Pavilion dv7-4050ev Battery
Unlike transports derived from passenger airliners, it was to be designed from the ground-up as a combat transport with loading from a ramp at the rear of the fuselage. This innovation for military cargo aircraft was first pioneered on the WW II German Junkers Ju 252 and Ju 253 "Hercules" transport prototypes. HP Pavilion dv7-4050ez Battery
The Hercules resembled a larger four-engine brother to the C-123 Provider with a similar wing and cargo ramp layout that evolved from the Chase XCG-20 Avitruc, which in turn, was first designed and flown as a cargo glider in 1947.[1] HP Pavilion dv7-4050sg Battery
The Boeing C-97 also had a rear ramp which made it possible to drive vehicles onto the plane (also possible with forward ramp on a C-124). But the ramp on the Hercules was also used to airdrop cargo, which included low-altitude extraction forSheridan tanks and even dropping large improvised "daisy cutter" bombs. HP Pavilion dv7-4050sy Battery
A key feature was the introduction of the T56 turboprop, first developed specifically for the C-130. At the time, the turboprop was a new application of turbine engines that used exhaust gases to turn a shafted propeller, which offered greater range at propeller-driven speeds compared to pure turbojets, which were faster but thirstier. HP Pavilion dv7-4051nr Battery
As was the case on helicopters of that era, such as the UH-1 Huey, turboshafts produced much more power for their weight than piston engines. Lockheed would subsequently use the same engines and technology in the Lockheed L-188 Electra. HP Pavilion dv7-4051sg Battery
That aircraft failed financially in its civilian configuration but was successfully adapted into the Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol and submarine attack aircraft where the efficiency and endurance at high propeller speeds of turboprops excelled. HP Pavilion dv7-4052sg Battery
The new Lockheed cargo plane design possessed a range of 1,100 nmi (1,300 mi; 2,000 km), takeoff capability from short and unprepared strips, and the ability to fly with one engine shut down. Fairchild, North American, Martin and Northrop declined to participate. HP Pavilion dv7-4053cl Battery
The remaining five companies tendered a total of 10 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. HP Pavilion dv7-4053eg Battery
The Lockheed design team was led by Willis Hawkins, starting with a 130 page proposal for the Lockheed L-206.[2] Hall Hibbard, Lockheed vice president and chief engineer, saw the proposal and directed it to Kelly Johnson, who did not care for the low-speed, unarmed aircraft, and remarked, HP Pavilion dv7-4054ca Battery
"If you sign that letter, you will destroy the Lockheed Company."[2] Both Hibbard and Johnson signed the proposal and the company won the contract for the now-designated Model 82 on 2 July 1951.[3]
The first flight of the YC-130 prototype was made on 23 August 1954 from the Lockheed plant in Burbank, California. HP Pavilion dv7-4054eg Battery
The aircraft, 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 P2V Neptune.[4] HP Pavilion dv7-4055sf Battery
Into production
After the two prototypes were completed, production began in Marietta, Georgia, where over 2,300 C-130s have been built through 2009.[5]
The initial production model, the C-130A, was powered by Allison T56-A-9 turboprops with three-blade propellers. HP Pavilion dv7-4055sg Battery
Deliveries began in December 1956, continuing until the introduction of the C-130B model in 1959. Some A models were re-designated C-130D after being equipped with skis. The newer C-130B had ailerons with increased boost—3,000 psi (21 MPa) versus 2,050 psi (14 MPa)—as well as uprated engines and four-bladed propellers that were standard until the J-model's introduction. HP Pavilion dv7-4057ca Battery
Improved versions
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 in the form of external pylon-mounted tanks at the end of the wings. HP Pavilion dv7-4057sf Battery
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. HP Pavilion dv7-4058ca Battery
Four-bladed Hamilton Standard propellers replaced the Aero Product three-bladed propellers that distinguished the earlier A-models. An electronic reconnaissance variant of the C-130B was designated C-130B-II. A total of 13 aircraft were converted.
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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, HP Pavilion dv7-4060em Battery
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 so as to confuse observers and disguise their true mission. HP Pavilion dv7-4060si Battery
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 1,360 US gal(5,150 L) Sargent Fletcher HP Pavilion dv7-4060us Battery
external fuel tanks under each wing's mid-section and more powerful Allison T56-A-7A turboprops. The hydraulic boost pressure to the ailerons was reduced back to 2050 psi as a consequence of the external tanks' weight in the middle of the wingspan. HP Pavilion dv7-4061nr Battery
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. HP Pavilion dv7-4063ca Battery
Refueling versions
The KC-130 tankers, originally C-130Fs procured for the US Marine Corps (USMC) in 1958 (under the designation GV-1) are equipped with a removable 3,600 US gal (13,626 l) stainless steel fuel tank carried inside the cargo compartment. HP Pavilion dv7-4065dx Battery
The two wing-mounted hose and drogue aerial refueling pods each transfer up to 300 US gal per minute (19 l per second) 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). HP Pavilion dv7-4065ei Battery
The US Navy's C-130G has increased structural strength allowing higher gross weight operation.
More improvements
The C-130H model has updated Allison T56-A-15 turboprops, a redesigned outer wing, updated avionics and other minor improvements. HP Pavilion dv7-4065ez Battery
Later H models had a new, fatigue-life-improved, center wing that was retro-fitted to many earlier H-models. The H model remains in widespread use with the US Air Force (USAF) and many foreign air forces. Initial deliveries began in 1964 (to the RNZAF), remaining in production until 1996. HP Pavilion dv7-4065sf Battery
An improved C-130H was introduced in 1974, with Australia purchasing 12 of type in 1978 to replace the original 12 C-130A models which had first entered RAAF Service in 1958.
The United States Coast Guard employs the HC-130H for long range search and rescue, drug interdiction, illegal migrant patrols, homeland security, and logistics. HP Pavilion dv7-4065si Battery
C-130H models produced from 1992 to 1996 were designated as C-130H3 by the USAF. The 3 denoting the third variation in design for the H series. Improvements included ring laser gyros for the INUs, GPS receivers, a partial glass cockpit (ADI and HSI instruments), HP Pavilion dv7-4066sf Battery
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. HP Pavilion dv7-4067sf Battery
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 100 in (2.54 m) plug aft of the cockpit and an 80 in (2.03 m) plug at the rear of the fuselage. HP Pavilion dv7-4069wm Battery
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). HP Pavilion dv7-4070eb Battery
This aircraft, named Snoopy, was withdrawn in 2001 and was then modified by Marshall of Cambridge Aerospace as flight-test bed for the A400M turbine engine, the TP400. The C-130K is used by the RAF Falcons for parachute drops. Three C-130K (Hercules C Mk.1P) were upgraded and sold to the Austrian Air Force in 2002. HP Pavilion dv7-4070eo Battery
Later models
The MC-130E Combat Talon was developed for the USAF during the Vietnam War to support special operations missions throughout Southeast Asia, and spawned a family of special missions aircraft. HP Pavilion dv7-4070er Battery
37 of the earliest models currently operating with the United States Special Operations Command are scheduled to be replaced by new-production MC-130J versions. The EC-130 and EC-130H Compass Call versions are also Special variants but are assigned to Air Combat Command (ACC). HP Pavilion dv7-4070ez Battery
The AC-130 gunship was first developed during the Vietnam War to provide close air support and other ground-attack duties.
The HC-130 is a family of long-range search and rescue variants used by the USAF and the US Coast Guard. Equipped for deep deployment of Pararescuemen (PJs), HP Pavilion dv7-4070sf Battery
survival equipment, and aerial refueling of combat rescue helicopters, HC-130s are usually the on-scene command aircraft for combat SAR missions. Early versions were 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. HP Pavilion dv7-4070us Battery
The John Wayne movie 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 depicts a real life SAR mission involving aerial refueling of a New York Air National Guard HH-60G by a New York Air National Guard HC-130P. HP Pavilion dv7-4071nr Battery
The C-130R and C-130T are US 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. HP Pavilion dv7-4073ca Battery
The USMC versions are designated KC-130R or KC-130T when equipped with underwing refueling pods and pylons and are fully night vision system compatible.
The RC-130 is a reconnaissance version. A single example is used by the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force, HP Pavilion dv7-4073nr Battery
the aircraft having originally been sold to the former Imperial Iranian Air Force.
The 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. HP Pavilion dv7-4074ca Battery
Next generation
In the 1970s, Lockheed proposed a C-130 variant with turbofan engines rather than turboprops, but the US Air Force preferred the takeoff performance of the existing aircraft. HP Pavilion dv7-4075sb Battery
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.
In the 1990s, the improved C-130J Super Hercules was developed by Lockheed (later Lockheed Martin). HP Pavilion dv7-4075sf Battery
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.
Upgrades and changes
In 2000, Boeing was awarded a US$1.4 billion contract to develop an Avionics Modernization Programme kit for the C-130. HP Pavilion dv7-4077cl Battery
The program was beset with delays and cost overruns until project restructuring in 2007.[7] On 2 September 2009, Bloomberg news 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, HP Pavilion dv7-4078ca Battery
CV-22 and airborne tanker replacement programs.[8] However, in June 2010, the Pentagonapproved funding for the initial production of the AMP upgrade kits.[9][10] Under the terms of this agreement, the USAF has cleared Boeing to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) for the C-130 AMP. HP Pavilion dv7-4080er Battery
A total of 198 aircraft are expected to feature the AMP upgrade. The current cost per aircraft is US$14 millionalthough Boeing expects that this price will drop to US$7 million for the 69th aircraft.
The first production aircraft, C-130As were first delivered beginning in 1956 to the 463d Troop Carrier Wing at Ardmore AFB, HP Pavilion dv7-4080sb Battery
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, HP Pavilion dv7-4080ss Battery
Germany while modified RC-130As were assigned to the Military Air Transport Service(MATS) photo-mapping division.
In 1958, a US reconnaissance C-130A-II was shot down over Armenia by MiG-17s.[11] HP Pavilion dv7-4080us Battery
Australia became the first non-American force to operate the C-130A Hercules with 12 examples being delivered from late 1958. These aircraft were fitted with AeroProducts three-blade, 15-foot diameter propellers. The Royal Canadian Air Force became another early user with the delivery of its first B-model in 1960. HP Pavilion dv7-4083cl Battery
In 1963, a Hercules achieved and still holds the record for the largest and heaviest aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier.[12] During October and November that year, a USMC KC-130F (BuNo 149798), loaned to the US Naval Air Test Center, made 29 touch-and-go landings, HP Pavilion dv7-4085eb Battery
21 unarrested full-stop landings and 21 unassisted take-offs on the USS Forrestal at a number of different weights.[13] The pilot, LT (later RADM) James H. Flatley III, USN, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in this test series. The tests were highly successful, HP Pavilion dv7-4085es Battery
but the idea was considered too risky for routine "Carrier Onboard Delivery" (COD) operations. Instead, the C-2 Greyhound was developed as a dedicated COD aircraft. 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 theNational Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida. HP Pavilion dv7-4085sf Battery
In 1964, C-130 crews from the 6315th Operations Group at Naha Airbase, 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 HP Pavilion dv7-4087cl Battery
North Vietnam where C-130 crews led formations of B-57 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 RTAFB, Thailand. HP Pavilion dv7-4090ca Battery
After the move to Ubon the mission became a four-engine FAC mission with the C-130 crew searching for targets then calling in strike aircraft. Another little-known C-130 mission flown by Naha-based crews was Operation Commando Scarf, HP Pavilion dv7-4090eb Battery
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.
In November 1964, on the other side of the globe, HP Pavilion dv7-4090es Battery
C-130Es from the 464th Troop Carrier Wing but loaned to 322d Air Division in France, flew one of the most dramatic missions in history in the former Belgian Congo. After a Congolese rebel group named "Simba" took white residents of the city of Stanleyville hostage, HP Pavilion dv7-4090sf Battery
the US and Belgium developed a joint rescue mission that used the C-130s to airlift and then drop and air-land a force of Belgian paratroopers to rescue the hostages. Two missions were flown, one over Stanleyville and another over Paulis during Thanksgiving weeksHP Pavilion dv7-4091sf Battery
The headline-making mission resulted in the first award of the prestigious MacKay Trophy to C-130 crews.
In the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, the Pakistan Air Force modified/improvised several aircraft for use as heavy bombers, HP Pavilion dv7-4095eb Battery
and attacks were made on Indian bridges and troop concentrations with some successes. No aircraft were lost in the operations, though one was slightly damaged.[15]
In October 1968 a C-130Bs from the 463rd Tactical Airlift Wing dropped a pair HP Pavilion dv7-4100 Battery
of M-121 10,000 pound bombs that had been developed for the massive B-36 bomber but had never been used. The US Army and US Air Force resurrected the huge weapons as a means of clearing landing zones for helicopters and in early 1969 the 463rd commenced Commando Vault missions. HP Pavilion dv7-4105TX Battery
Although the stated purpose of COMMANDO VAULT was to clear LZs, they were also used on enemy base camps and other targets.
During the late 1960s, the US was eager to get information on Chinese nuclear capabilities. HP Pavilion dv7-4106TX Battery
After the failure of theBlack Cat Squadron to plant operating sensor pods near the Lop Nur Nuclear Weapons Test Base using a Lockheed U-2, theCIA developed a plan, named Heavy Tea, to deploy two battery-powered sensor pallets near the base. HP Pavilion dv7-4130sa Battery
To deploy the pallets, a Black Bat Squadron crew was trained in the US 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 US Air Force C-130E on 17 May 1969. Flying for six and a half hours at low altitude in the dark, HP Pavilion dv7-4131sa Battery
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 US intelligence satellite for six months, before their batteries wore out. HP Pavilion dv7-4140ea Battery
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 was called off in 1970.[16] HP Pavilion dv7-4142eo Battery
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 in 1964.[17] After being returned to the US Air Force sometime between 1966 and 1970, HP Pavilion dv7-4150ea Battery
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 which crashed in Vietnam on 20 December 1965 and 64-0507 is now flying as 63-7785, a C-130E which had crashed in Vietnam on 17 June 1966.[18] HP Pavilion dv7-4170eo Battery
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 Air Base, Japan performed yeoman's service, including operating highly classified special operations missions such as the HP Pavilion dv7-4180ea Battery
BLIND BAT FAC/Flare mission and FACT SHEET leaflet mission over Laos and North Vietnam. The A-model was also provided to the South Vietnamese Air Force as part of the Vietnamization program at the end of the war, and equipped three squadrons based at Tan Son Nhut AFB. HP Pavilion dv7-6000 Battery
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.[19] 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 HP Pavilion dv7-6000sg Battery
States where most were assigned to Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units.
Another prominent role for the B model was with the United States Marine Corps, where Hercules initially designated as GV-1s replaced C-119s. HP Pavilion dv7-6001sg Battery
After Air Force C-130Ds proved the type's usefulness in Antarctica, the US Navy purchased a number of 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. HP Pavilion dv7-6001xx Battery
All reverted to standard C-130B cargo aircraft after their replacement in the reconnaissance role by other aircraft.
The C-130 was also used in the 1976 Entebbe raid in which Israeli commando forces carried a surprise assault to rescue 103 passengers of an airliner hijacked HP Pavilion dv7-6002sa Battery
byPalestinian and German terrorists at Entebbe Airport, Uganda. The rescue force—200 soldiers, jeeps, and a black Mercedes-Benz (intended to resemble UgandanDictator Idi Amin's vehicle of state)—was flown over 2,200 nmi (2,532 mi; HP Pavilion dv7-6004ea Battery
4,074 km) almost entirely at an altitude of less than 100 ft (30 m) from Israel to Entebbe by four Israeli Air Force (IAF) Hercules aircraft without mid-air refueling (on the way back, the planes refueled in Nairobi, Kenya).
During the Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas) of 1982, HP Pavilion dv7-6004tx Battery
Argentine Air Force C-130s undertook highly dangerous, daily re-supply night flights as blockade runners to the Argentine garrison on the Falkland Islands. They also performed daylight maritime survey flights. One was lost during the war. Argentina also operated two KC-130 tankers during the war, HP Pavilion dv7-6005sg Battery
and these refueled both the A-4 Skyhawks and Navy Dassault-Breguet Super Étendards; some C-130s were modified to operate as bomber with bombs-racks under wings. The British also used RAF C-130s to support their logistical operations. HP Pavilion dv7-6005tx Battery
During the Gulf War of 1991 (Operation Desert Storm), the C-130 Hercules was used operationally by the US Air Force, US Navy and US 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 HP Pavilion dv7-6006sg Battery
conventional bombs in the world, the BLU-82 "Daisy Cutter" and GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, also known as the MOAB. Daisy Cutters were used to clear landing zones and to eliminate mine fields. The weight and size of the weapons make it impossible or impractical to load them on conventional bombers. HP Pavilion dv7-6007sg Battery
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. HP Pavilion dv7-6008eg Battery
Since 1992, two successive C-130 aircraft named Fat Albert have served as the support aircraft for the US Navy Blue Angelsflight demonstration team. Fat Albert I was a TC-130G (15189), while Fat Albert II is a C-130T (164763 ). Although Fat Albertsupports a Navy squadron, it is operated by the US Marine Corps (USMC) HP Pavilion dv7-6008sg Battery
and its crew consists solely of USMC personnel. At some air shows featuring the team, Fat Albert takes part, performing flyovers. Until 2009, it also demonstrated its jet-assisted takeoff (JATO) capabilities; these ended due to dwindling supplies of rockets.[20] HP Pavilion dv7-6011sg Battery
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 36.0 hours nonstop from Hurlburt Field Florida to Taegu (Daegu), South Korea while being refueled 7 times by KC-135 tanker aircraft. HP Pavilion dv7-6011tx Battery
This record flight shattered the previous record longest flight by over 10 hours while the 2 gunships took on 410,000 lb (190,000 kg) 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.[21] HP Pavilion dv7-6012eg Battery
During the 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,
HP Pavilion dv7-6012sg Battery
Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, the UK and the United States.
During the 2003 invasion of Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom), the C-130 Hercules was used operationally by Australia, the UK and the United States. HP Pavilion dv7-6012tx Battery
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.
Since 2004, the Pakistan Air Force has employed C-130s in the War in North-West Pakistan. HP Pavilion dv7-6013eg Battery
Some variants had forward looking infrared (FLIR Systems Star Safire III EO/IR) sensor balls, to enable close tracking of Islamist militants.[22]
An RAF C-130 was shot down on 30 January 2005, when an Iraqi insurgent brought it down firing with a ZU-23 anti-aircraft artillery gun while the plane was flying at HP Pavilion dv7-6013tx Battery
164 ft (50 m) after it had dropped SAS special forces paratroopers.[23]
On 20 November 2011, the Australian government announced plans to donate four ex-RAAF C-130 Hercules aircraft to Indonesia for humanitarian and disaster relief work. HP Pavilion dv7-6014tx Battery
The Hercules aircraft require an estimated AUD$25 million in maintenance to restore them to airworthiness [24]
Civilian
The U.S. Forest Service developed the Modular Airborne FireFighting System for the C-130 in the 1970s, HP Pavilion dv7-6015eg Battery
which allows regular aircraft to be temporarily converted to an airtanker for fighting wildfires.[25] In the late 1980s, 22 retired USAF C-130As were removed from storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and transferred to the U.S. Forest Service who then sold them to six private companies to be converted into air tankers HP Pavilion dv7-6015sg Battery
(see U.S. Forest Service airtanker scandal). After one of these aircraft crashed due to wing separation in flight as a result of fatigue stress cracking, the entire fleet of C-130A air tankers was permanently grounded in 2004 (see 2002 airtanker crashes). HP Pavilion dv7-6025eg Battery
C-130s have been used to spread chemical dispersants onto the massive oil slick in the Gulf Coast in 2010.
Australia
C-130A RAAF A97-214 used by 36 Squadron from early 1959, withdrawn from use late 1978; now at RAAF Museum, RAAF Base Williams, Point Cook. HP Pavilion dv7-6055ef Battery
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.[33] HP Pavilion dv7-6055sf Battery
Canada
- CC-130E RCAF 10314 (later 130314) is on display at the National Air Force Museum of Canada, CFB Trenton
Norway
C-130H Royal Norwegian Air Force 953 retired 10 June 2007 and moved to the Air Force museum at Oslo Gardermoen in May 2008.[34] HP Pavilion dv7-6065ef Battery
Saudi Arabia
C-130H RSAF 460 was operated by 4 Squadron Royal Saudi Air Force, December 1974 until January 1987. It was damaged in a fire at Jeddah in December 1989. Restored for ground training by August 1993. HP Pavilion dv7-6065sf Battery
- At Riyadh Air Base Museum, November 2002, restored for ground display by using a tail from another C-130H.[35]
United Kingdom
Hercules C3 XV202 which served with the Royal Air Force from 1967 to 2011 is on display at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford.[36] HP Pavilion dv7-6070sf Battery
United States
C-130A USAF 55-0037 was 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; HP Pavilion dv7-6081eg Battery
- 167 TAS, 180 TAS, to Chanute Technical Training Center as GC-130A, May 1984; now displayed at Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum, Rantoul Aviation Complex, Rantoul, Illinois as of November 1995.[37]
C-130A USAF 56-0518 was by the 314 TCW, 315 AD, 41 ATS, 328 TAS; HP Pavilion dv7-6090sf Battery
to South Vietnamese Air Force 435 Transport Squadron, November 1972; holds the C-130 record for taking off with the most personnel on board, during evacuation of SVN, 29 April 1975, with 452. Returned to USAF, 185 TAS, 105 TAS; HP Pavilion dv7-6097ef Battery
- gate guard at Little Rock AFB Visitor Center, Arkansas by March 1993.[38]
C-130A USAF 57-0453 operated from 1958 to 1991, last duty with 155th TAS, 164th TAG, Tennessee Air National Guard, Memphis International Airport, Tennessee, 1976–1991, named "Nite Train to Memphis"; HP Business Notebook 2400 Battery
to AMARC in December, 1991, then sent to Texas for modification into replica of C-130A-II 56-0528, shot down by Russian fighters over Soviet 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.[39] HP Business Notebook 2510p Battery
C-130D USAF 57-0490 was used by the 61st TCS, 17th TCS, 139th TAS with skis, July 1975 – April 1983; to 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, HP Business Notebook 4200 Battery
- Rantoul, Illinois. In July 1994 it moved to the Empire State Air Museum, Schenectady County Airport, New York, until placed on the gate at Stratton ANGB in October 1994.[40]
NC-130B USAF 57-0526 was the second B model manufactured, initially delivered as JC-130B; HP Business Notebook 7400 Battery
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; HP Business Notebook 8200 Battery
"J" status and prefix removed from aircraft Oct 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; HP Business Notebook 8400 Battery
- aircraft retired January 1994 with 11,000+ flight hours and moved to Hill Aerospace Museum by January 1994.[41]
C-130E s/n 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. HP Business Notebook 8710p Battery
One of the greatest feats of heroism during the Vietnam War involved the C-130E, call sign "Spare 617".[N 1] The C-130E attempted to airdrop ammunition to surrounded South Vietnamese forces at An Loc, Vietnam. Approaching the drop zone, HP Business Notebook 9400 Battery
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 Sanders was killed, and navigator Lenz and co-pilot Hering were both wounded. HP Business Notebook NC2400 Battery
Despite receiving severe burns from hot air escaping from the damaged air bleed duct, loadmaster 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 final approach, pilot Capt. HP Business Notebook NC4200 Battery
Caldwell landed Spare 617 safely. For their actions, Caldwell and Shaub received the Air Force Cross, the U.S. Air Force's second highest award for valor. Shaub also received the William H. Pitsenbarger Award for Heroism from the Air Force Sergeants Association.[42] HP Business Notebook NC4400 Battery
KC-130F USMC BuNo 149798 was used in tests in October–November 1963 by the U.S. Navy for unarrested landings and unassisted take-offs from the carrier USSForrestal, it remains the record holder for largest aircraft to operate from a carrier flight deck, HP Business Notebook NC8200 Battery
- 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.[43]
C-130G USMC BuNo 151891 was modified to EC-130G, 1966, then testbed for EC-130Q in 1981. HP Business Notebook NC8230 Battery
To TC-130G in May 1990 and assigned as the U.S. Navy's Blue Angelssupport 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.[44] HP Business Notebook NC8430 Battery
C-130E USAF 64-0525 is 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 prior to retirement from the USAF.[45] HP Business Notebook NX4800 Battery
- C-130E USAF 69-6579 was 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 museum, January 2004.[46]
MC-130E Combat Talon AFSOC 64-0567 was unofficially known as "Wild Thing".HP Business Notebook NX7400 Battery
It transported captured Panamanian dictator Manuel Noreiga in 1989 during Operation Just Cause, and participated in Operation Eagle Claw, the unsuccessful attempt to rescue US hostages from Iran in 1980. Wild Thing was also the first fixed-wing aircraft to employ night-vision goggles. HP Business Notebook NX8200 Battery
- On display at Hurlburt Field, in Florida.[47]
C-130E USAF 69-6580 was 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.[46] HP Business Notebook NX8220 Battery
- C-130E USAF 70-1269 was used by the 43rd AW and is on display at the Pope Air Park, Pope AFB, North Carolina as 2006.[48]
C-130H USAF 74-1686 was used by the 463rd TAW; one of three C-130H airframes modified to YMC-130H for aborted rescue attempt of Iranian hostages, HP Business Notebook NX8420 Battery
Operation Credible Sport, with rocket packages blistered onto fuselage in 1980, but these were removed after mission was canceled. Subsequent duty with the 4950th Test Wing, then donated to the Robins AFB Museum, Georgia, in March 1988. HP Business Notebook NX9420 Battery
The Lockheed Martin C-130J "Super" Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the venerable Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. HP Business Notebook NX9500 Battery
The Hercules family has the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft in history. During more than 50 years of service, the family has participated in military, civilian, and humanitarian aid operations. The Hercules has outlived several planned successor designs, HP Business Notebook TC4200 Battery
most notably the Advanced Medium STOL Transportcontestants. Fifteen nations have placed orders for a total of 300 C-130Js, of which 250 aircraft have been delivered as of February 2012.
The C-130J is the newest version of the Hercules and the only model still in production. HP Business Notebook TC4400 Battery
Externally similar to the classic Hercules in general appearance, the J-model features considerably updated technology. These differences include new Rolls-Royce AE 2100 D3 turboprops with Dowty R391[2] composite scimitar propellers, digital avionics (including head-up displays (HUDs) for each pilot), HP Business NX9100 Battery
and reduced crew requirements. These changes have improved performance over its C-130E/H predecessors, such as 40% greater range, 21% higher maximum speed, and 41% shorter takeoff distance.[3] The J-model is available in a standard-length or stretched -30 variant. HP Business NX9105 Battery
The C-130J's crew includes two pilots and one loadmaster (no navigator or flight engineer). The United States Marine Corps utilizes a crew chief for expeditionary operations. Its cargo compartment is approximately 41 feet (12.5 m) long, 9 feet (2.74 m) high, and 10 feet (3.05 m) wide, and loading is from the rear of the fuselage. HP Business NX9110 Battery
The aircraft can also be configured with the "enhanced cargo handling system". The system consists of a computerized loadmaster's station from which the user can remotely control the under-floor winch and also configure the flip-floor system to palletized roller or flat-floor cargo handling. HP Business NX9600 Battery
Initially developed for the USAF, this system enables rapid role changes to be carried out and so extends the C-130J's time available to complete taskings.[4]
Lockheed Martin received the launch order for the J-model from the RAF, which ordered 25 aircraft, HP NC6110 Battery
with first deliveries beginning in 1999 as Hercules C4 (C-130J-30) and Hercules C5 (C-130J). The standard C-130J had a flyaway cost of US$62 million in 2008.[5]
In mid-June 2008, the United States Air Force awarded a $470 million contract to Lockheed Martin for six modified KC-130J aircraft for use by the Air Force andSpecial Operations Command. HP NC6120 Battery
The contract led to C-130J variants that will replace aging HC-130s and MC-130s.[6] The HC-130J Combat King II personnel recovery aircraft completed developmental testing on 14 March 2011. The final test point was air-to-air refueling, and was the first ever boom refueling of a C-130 where the aircraft’s refueling receiver was installed during aircraft production. HP NC6140 Battery
This test procedure also applied to the MC-130J Combat Shadow II aircraft in production for Air Force Special Operations Command.
Harvest HAWK
With the addition of the Marine Corps's ISR / Weapon Mission Kit, HP NC6200 Battery
the KC-130J tanker variant will be able to serve as anoverwatch aircraft and can deliver ground support fire in the form of Hellfire or Griffin missiles, precision-guided bombs, and eventually 30mm cannon fire in a later upgrade.[8] HP NC6220 Battery
This capability, designated as "Harvest HAWK" (Hercules Airborne Weapons Kit), can be used in scenarios where precision is not a requisite, such as area denial.[9] The aircraft retains its original capabilities in refueling and transportation. The entire system can be removed within a day if necessary.[10] HP NC6230 Battery
Operational history
The Super Hercules has been used extensively by the USAF and USMC in Iraq. Canada has also deployed their CC-130J aircraft to Afghanistan. The Royal Canadian Air Force announced August 22, 2011, that the Tactical Airlift Unit will keep flying ISAF missions until at least mid-November. HP NX5100 Battery
C-130Js from several countries have been deployed in support of the US Operation Odyssey Dawn and NATO's Operation Unified Protector during the 2011 Libyan civil war.
Civilian usage
The Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) is a self-contained unit used HP NX6110 Battery
for aerial firefighting that can be loaded onto a C-130 Hercules, which then allows the aircraft to be used as an air tanker against wildfires.[11] This allows the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to utilize military aircraft from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve to serve as an emergency backup resource to the civilian air tanker fleet. HP NX6120 Battery
The latest generation MAFFS II system was used for the first time on a fire in July 2010,[13] using the C-130J Super Hercules.[14] The 146th Airlift Wing was the first to transition to the MAFFS 2 system in 2008, and it remains the only unit flying the new system on the C-130J aircraft.[14] HP NX6125 Battery
Orders and deliveries
The largest operator of the new model is the U.S. Air Force, which has ordered the aircraft in increasing numbers. Current operators of the C-130J are the USAF (to include the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard), HP Omnibook 4100 Battery
United States Marine Corps (being their fourth variant after KC-130F, KC-130R and KC-130T[15]), United States Coast Guard, Royal Air Force,Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Danish Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Indian Air Force and theItalian Air Force. HP Omnibook 6000 Battery
As of July 2010, a total of 200 units have been produced[16] of the 284 on order at that time.[17]
International orders
Australia was the second international customer for the C-130J-30, with an initial order of twelve aircraft. An additional order for two more aircraft was planned, but cancelled with the purchase of a fifth Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.[18] HP Omnibook XE Battery
Lockheed Martin offered to lease four C-130Js to the German Luftwaffe in 2005. Germany was awaiting the replacement of itsTransall C-160 by Airbus A400Ms, but that was planned for 2010.[19] The deal would have filled in the gap in airlift capability, but the offer was declined. HP Omnibook XE2 Battery
The Royal Norwegian Air Force ordered four C-130J-30s in 2007 to replace six aging C-130Hs in need of additional repairs.[20][21] Aircraft were delivered from November 2008[22][23] to 2010.[24] One of these were lost in March 2012. HP Omnibook XE3 Battery
The Canadian Forces signed a US$1.4 billion contract with Lockheed Martin for seventeen new C-130J-30s on 16 January 2008, as part of the procurement process to replace the existing C-130E and H models.[25] The C-130J will be officially designated CC-130J Hercules in Canadian service.[26] HP Omnibook XT1000 Battery
The first C-130J was delivered to CFB Trenton on 4 June 2010.[27]The final C-130J was delivered on 11 May 2012.[28]
The Indian Air Force purchased six C-130J-30s in early 2008 at a cost of up to US$1.059 billion[29] HP Omnibook XT1500 Battery
for its special operations forces in a package deal with the US government under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. India has options to buy six more of these aircraft.[30] The Indian government decided not to sign the Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA), HP Pavilion DV1000 Battery
which resulted in the exclusion of high precision GPS and other sensitive equipment. The IAF may add similar equipment to the aircraft after delivery.[31] In October 2011, India announced its intent to exercise the option for the six additional aircraft, HP Pavilion DV2000 Battery
following the credible performance of the C-130J in the 2011 Sikkim earthquake relief operations.[32]
The Iraqi Air Force ordered six C-130J-30s in July 2008.[33][34] HP Pavilion DV2100 Battery
Qatar ordered four C-130Js in October 2008, along with spare parts and training for the Qatar Emiri Air Force. The contract is worth a total of US$393.6 million and deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2011.[35]
In June 2009, Lockheed Martin said that both the UK and France had asked for HP Pavilion DV2200 Battery
technical details on the C-130J as an alternative to the troubled Airbus A400M.[36]
The United Arab Emirates Air Force announced an order for twelve C-130J transports at the 2009 IDEX, with an announced value of US$1.3 billion.[37] HP Pavilion DV2300 Battery
The United Arab Emirates requested 12 C-130Js through a Direct Commercial Sale in December 2009, with logistics support, training and related systems to be provided through a Foreign Military Sales program.[38] A contract with Lockheed Martin has not been signed.[39] HP Pavilion DV2400 Battery
The Israeli Air Force is seeking to purchase nine C-130J-30s.[40] In April 2010 Israel ordered one C-130J-30 with delivery in 2013, and was in contract talks for two more aircraft in June 2010.HP Pavilion DV2500 Battery
An option for a second C-130J-30 was exercised on 8 April 2011, along with planning and advance long lead procurement of aircraft components to support the third C-130J Israeli aircraft.[42][43]
The Kuwait Air Force signed a contract for three KC-130J air refueling tankers in May 2010, with deliveries to begin in late 2013. HP Pavilion DV2600 Battery
The KC-130Js will extend the range of its F-18s and augment its fleet of three militarized L-100s.
Oman increased its C-130J order in August 2010 by adding two C-130Js to the single C-130J-30 ordered in 2009. Deliveries are to be completed by early 2014 or before. HP Pavilion DV2700 Battery
The Airbus A400M, also known as the Atlas,[5] is a multi-national four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It was designed by Airbus Military as a tactical airlifter with strategic capabilities.[6] The aircraft's maiden flight, originally planned for 2008, took place on 11 December 2009 in Seville, Spain.[1] HP Pavilion DV4 Battery
The A400M is undergoing flight testing. Orders totalled 174 aircraft from eight nations as of July 2011.[7] Airbus Military is expected to deliver the first aircraft in early 2013.
The project began as the Future International Military Airlifter (FIMA) group, HP Pavilion DV4T Battery
set up in 1982 by Aérospatiale, British Aerospace (BAe), Lockheed, andMesserschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB) to develop a replacement for the C-130 Hercules and Transall C-160.[9] Varying requirements and the complications of international politics caused slow progress. HP Pavilion DV5 Battery
In 1989 Lockheed left the grouping and went on to develop an upgraded Hercules, the C-130J Super Hercules. With the addition of Alenia of Italy and CASA of Spain the FIMA group became Euroflag.
The A400M is positioned as an intermediate size between the Lockheed C-130, and the Boeing C-17. HP Pavilion DV5T Battery
Originally the SNECMA M138 turboprop (based on the M88 core) was selected to power the A400M. Airbus Military issued a new request for proposal (RFP) in April 2002, after which Pratt & Whitney Canada with the PW180 andEuroprop International answered; the latter was a new design. HP Pavilion DV7 Battery
Airbus Military preferred the PWC engine, but political interference resulted in the selection of the Europrop TP400-D6 in May 2003.[10]
The partner nations – France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Turkey, HP Pavilion DV7T Battery
Belgium, and Luxembourg – signed an agreement in May 2003 to buy 212 aircraft.These nations decided to charge the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) with the management of the acquisition of the A400M. HP Pavilion DV4000 Battery
Following the withdrawal of Italy and revision of procurement totals the revised requirement was for 180 aircraft, with first flight in 2008 and first delivery in 2009. On 28 April 2005, South Africa joined the partnership programme with the state-owned Denel Saab Aerostructures receiving a contract for fuselage components.[11] HP Pavilion DV5000 Battery
Into production
The A400M assembly at the Seville plant of EADS Spain started in the first quarter of 2007. Airbus plans to manufacture thirty aircraft per year.[12] The major assemblies arrive by Airbus Beluga transporters. HP Pavilion DV6000 Battery
The four Europrop TP400-D6 flight test engines were delivered in late February 2008 for the first A400M.[13] Static structural testing of a A400M test airframe began on 12 March 2008 in Spain.[14]
The first flight, originally scheduled for the first quarter of 2008, HP Pavilion DV6100 Battery
was postponed due to program delays, schedule adjustments and financial pressures. EADS announced in early January 2008 that continued development problems with the engines had resulted in a delay to the second quarter of 2008 before the first engine test flights on a C-130 testbed aircraft. HP Pavilion DV6300 Battery
The first flight of the aircraft, previously scheduled for July 2008, had again been postponed. Civil certification under European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) CS-25 will be followed later by certification for military purposes. The A400M was "rolled out" in HP Pavilion DV6500t Battery
Seville on 26 June 2008 at an event presided by King Juan Carlos I of Spain.[15] On 12 January 2011, serial production of the A400M for its first customers started.[16]
Development problems
On 9 January 2009, EADS announced that the first delivery has been postponed until at least 2012. HP Pavilion DV8000 Battery
EADS also indicated that it wanted to renegotiate "certain technical characteristics" of the aircraft.[17] EADS has long maintained the first deliveries would begin three years after the A400M's first flight. The German newspaper Financial Times Deutschland has closely followed the HP Pavilion DV8000t Battery
A400M program and reported on 12 January 2009 that the aircraft is overweight by 12 tons and may not be able to achieve a critical performance requirement, the ability to airlift 32 tons. Sources told FTD at the time that the aircraft could only lift 29 tons, which is insufficient to carry a modern armored infantry fighting vehicle HP Pavilion DV8000z Battery
(like thePuma).[18] The FTD report prompted the chief of the German Air Force to say, "That is a disastrous development," and could delay deliveries to the Luftwaffe until 2014.[19] The Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the Luftwaffe is delayed at least until 2017. HP Pavilion DV8002ea Battery
This leads the political planning to potential alternatives in the shape of a higher integration of European airlift capabilities.[20] The OCCAR reminded the participating countries that they can terminate the contract before 31 March 2009.[21]
On 29 March 2009, Airbus CEO Thomas Enders told Der Spiegel magazine that the program may need to be abandoned without changes.[22] HP Pavilion DV8005ea Battery
Then on 3 April 2009 theSouth African Air Force announced that it would start considering alternatives to the A400M due to postponed production and increased cost.[23] On 5 November 2009, South Africa announced it was cancelling the order citing increased cost and delivery delays.[24] HP Pavilion DV8010ea Battery
On 12 June, The New York Times reported that Germany and France have delayed the decision whether or not to cancel their orders for another six months, while the UK still plans to decide at the end of June. The NYT also quotes a report to the French Senate from February 2009, HP Pavilion DV9000 Battery
according to which "the A400M is €5 billion over budget, 3 to 4 years behind schedule, [...] aerospace experts estimate it is also costing Airbus between €1 billion and €1.5 billion a year."[25]
The shortage of military transports caused by the A400M delay forced the UK to lease, HP Pavilion DV9100 Battery
and subsequently purchase, six C-17s. France and Germany have also been considering other planes, as all three countries need to support their operations in Afghanistan.[26] The ADS Group has warned that shifting the British orders to American aircraft for the short term budget savings would cost much more over time in missed civil and military aerospace business, HP Pavilion DV9200 Battery
because they say that the technologies used in the A400M would be a bridge to the next generation of civilian aircraft.[27] In June 2009, Lockheed Martin said that both United Kingdom and France had asked for technical details on the C-130J as an alternative to the A400M.HP Pavilion DV9500 Battery
Airbus acknowledged in 2009 that the program is expected to lose at least €2.4 billion and cannot break even without sales outside NATO countries.[10] A PricewaterhouseCoopers audit of the program projected that it would run €11.2 billion over budget unless corrective measures were taken, HP Pavilion DV9600 Battery
which would result in an overrun of only €7.6 billion.[29] On 24 July 2009, the seven European nations announced that they would continue with the A400M program, and form a joint procurement agency to renegotiate the contract with EADS. HP Pavilion N3200 Battery
The ministers of the seven European launch customers were supposed to meet 15 October 2009 in Germany to approve a new timetable, configuration and financial terms for the A400M airlifter.[32] On 14 October 2009, French Ministry of Defense spokesman Laurent Teisseire, announced this meeting had been postponed.[33] HP Pavilion N5100 Battery
On 9 December 2009, the Financial Times reported that Airbus has asked for an additional €5 billion subsidy to complete the project.[34] On 5 January 2010, Airbus repeated that the A400M program may be scrapped, costing Airbus €5.7 billion unless €5.3 billion was added by partner governments.[35] HP Pavilion N5200 Battery
On 11 January 2010, Tom Enders, Airbus chief executive, stated that he was prepared to cancel production of the A400M if European governments did not provide more funding. Delays to the A400M project had already increased its budget by 25%.[36] HP Pavilion N5250 Battery
On 5 November 2010, Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain and Turkey finalised the contract and agreed to lend Airbus Military €1.5 billion. The program is at least three years behind schedule. The deal, however, meant also that the UK HP Pavilion N5290 Battery
reduced its order from 25 to 22 aircraft and Germany from 60 to 53, decreasing the total order from 180 to 170.[37]
Flight testing
Before the first flight, the company obtained the required hours of airborne test time on the engines using a C-130 testbed aircraft. HP Pavilion N5300 Battery
The first flight of the C-130 testbed occurred on 17 December 2008.[40] The A400M's maiden flight was carried out from Seville on 11 December 2009.[1] The first A400M had flown 39 hours of test flights as of 9 March 2010.[41] The second test aircraft's engines were tested on 18 March 2010 prior to it beginning test flights.[42] HP Pavilion N5340 Battery
The second A400M completed its first flight on 8 April 2010.[43] The third A400M took to the air in July 2010. With this flight the three A400Ms have taken more than 100 flights, totaling 400 hours.
In July 2010, the A400M passed a key test: ultimate-load testing of the wing.[45] HP Pavilion N5350 Battery
On 28 October 2010, Airbus Military announced that it was about to start refuelling and air-drop tests.[46] By late October 2010 the A400M had flown 672 hours of the 2,700 hours expected to reach certification. Cold weather testing is to be performed in either Canada or Sweden.[47] HP Pavilion N5390 Battery
In November 2010, the first paratroop jumps were performed from the A400M.[48] In December 2010 the A400M fleet's flight time has risen to 965 hours.[49] A400M number four joined the test fleet with its first flight of over five hours on 20 December 2010.[2] HP Pavilion N5400 Battery
Winter tests were done in Kiruna, Sweden during February 2011.[50] By April 2011 a total of 1,400 flight hours over 450 flights had been achieved.[51] In May 2011 the A400M's EPI TP400-D6 engine received certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).[52] HP Pavilion N5415 Battery
In May 2011, the A400M fleet had totaled 1,600 hours over 500 flights; by September 2011, the total increased to 2,100 hours and 684 flights.[53]
Due to a problem with the gearbox the A400M did not fly demonstrations at the 2011 Paris Air Show. It was shown on static display instead.[54] HP Pavilion N5420 Battery
By October 2011, the total flight hours had reached 2,380 over 784 flights. A minor problem that occurred during wet landing test led to reconstruction of parts of the main landing gear door.[55]
High altitude start and landing tests were performed at La Paz at 4,061.5 m (13,325 ft) and Cochabamba at 2,548 m (8,360 feet) in Bolivia in March 2012. HP Pavilion N5425 Battery
Design
The Airbus A400M will increase the airlift capacity and range compared with the aircraft it was originally set to replace, the older versions of the Hercules and Transall. HP Pavilion N5430 Battery
Cargo capacity is expected to double over existing aircraft, both in payload and volume, and range is increased substantially as well. The cargo box is 17.71 m long excluding ramp, 4.00 m wide, and 3.85 m high (or 4.00 m aft of the wing).[61] and the ramp is 5.40 m long. HP Pavilion N5435 Battery
The A400M will operate in many configurations including cargo transport, troop transport, Medical evacuation, aerial refuelling, and electronic surveillance. The aircraft is intended for use on short, soft landing strips and for long-range, cargo transport flights. HP Pavilion N5440 Battery
It features a fly-by-wire flight control system with sidestick controllers and flight envelope protection. Like other Airbus aircraft, the A400M will have a full glass cockpit (all information accessed through large colour screens) and as such will represent a technological leap compared to the older C-130s and C-160s that many countries now operate. HP Pavilion N5445 Battery
The A400M's wings are primarily carbon fibre reinforced plastic. The eight-bladed Scimitar propeller is also made from a woven composite material. The aircraft is powered by four Europrop TP400-D6 engines rated at 8,250 kW (11,000 hp) each. HP Pavilion N5450 Battery
The TP400-D6 engine is to be the most powerful turboprop engine in the West to enter operational use.[52] One of the few propeller powered aircraft with swept wings, the turboprops provide an efficient cruise speed of 780 km/h (480 mph) which falls between the C-130 and the jet-powered C-17. HP Pavilion N5455 Battery
The pair of propellers on each wing of the A400M turn in opposite directions, with the tips of the propellers advancing from above towards the midpoint between the two engines. HP Pavilion N5470 Battery
This is in contrast to the overwhelming majority of multi-engine propeller driven aircraft where all propellers on the same wing turn in the same direction. The counter-rotation is achieved by the use of a gearbox fitted to two of the engines, and only the propeller turns the opposite direction; HP Pavilion N5490 Battery
all four engines are identical and turn in the same direction which eliminates the need to have two different "handed" engines on stock for the same aircraft, which simplifies maintenance and supply costs. This configuration, dubbed DBE (Down Between Engines), HP Pavilion N6000 Battery
allows the aircraft to produce more lift and lessens the torque and prop wash on each wing. It also reduces yaw in the event of an outboard engine failure.
EADS and Thales will provide the new Multi-Colour Infrared Alerting Sensor (MIRAS) missile warning sensor for the A400M. HP Pavilion N6100 Battery,HP Pavilion N6195 Battery,HP Pavilion n6400 Battery
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