![]() "It's an ambulance, it's a gunship, it drops paratroopers, it carries cargo, it's a TV broadcast system, it's launched drones, and caught satellites. "The C-130 is whatever is needed," Rhodes observes. A remarkable 70 countries operate C-130s, which have been produced in more than 70 different variants. The Hercules has the longest continuous military aircraft production run in history, and one of the top three longest continuous aircraft production lines of any type. Production of the C-130A began at Lockheed's plant in Marietta, Georgia, soon thereafter and the Herc has been rolling off the assembly line ever since. colonels overlook production of the C-130 in Marietta, Georgia. Indeed, that conflict is where the C-130 was born. The MC-130's crew released it from the rear cargo ramp using a drag chute, a procedure that dates back to before the Korean War. On April 13, an MC-130 dropped the largest conventional bomb ever used in combat-the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), or "mother of all bombs"-on an Islamic State tunnel complex in Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province. Lockheed says the C-130 has flown at least 100 different missions in its 63-year-old life, including its most recent return to the military limelight. Simply put, the C-130 is a do-anything aircraft and its service record shows it. Like the A-10 Warthog, it's the Hercules' awesome capability that makes it a total badass. But what it lacks in sleekness it more than makes up for in heart. The name fits the company's tradition of naming aircraft after celestial constellations, along with the P-2V Neptune and P-3 Orion.Ĭompared to high-profile jet fighters like the F-22 Raptor or F-35 Lightning II, the Hercules looks like a bloated throwback. ![]() Lockheed dubbed it "Hercules" after the mythological hero known for his strength and courage. With a squat stance, bulbous nose, four big turboprop engines, and massive fuselage, the C-130 cruises at a relatively modest 290 to 320 knots.
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