Super Hercules 101The C-130J can carry 20,000 pounds of payload over distances of some 4,000 miles without refueling. These numbers, previously unheard of in tactical operations, put the Super Hercules firmly in the envelope for strategic operations.
The C-130J’s predecessors, C-130A through C-130H models, set the standard for turboprop military transport aircraft since the first Hercules entered service in 1956. The new C-130J sets the bar even higher. Compared to earlier C-130 models, maximum speed of the J-model is increased twenty-one percent, climb time is reduced up to fifty percent, cruising altitude is increased up to forty percent, and range is extended up to forty percent. With its new engines and propellers, the C-130J has set fifty-four world records for altitude, time-to-climb, speed over a closed course, payload over distance, and short takeoff and landing.
Versatility, reliability, and ruggedness have made the C-130 the military transport of choice for sixty-nine nations on six continents. More than 2,260 of these aircraft have been delivered, making the Hercules the product of the longest continuous, active military aircraft assembly line in history. During the past five decades, virtually every system, component, and structural part of the aircraft has been upgraded to make the C-130 more durable and more cost-effective to operate and easier to maintain. The sum of that knowledge is evident in the C-130J.
The Hercules has carried out a large variety of missions. In addition to being tactical airlifter, variants of the C-130 perform aerial refueling (both in the air and on the ground), weather reconnaissance, surveillance, command and control, close air support, firefighting, electronic reconnaissance, aerial broadcasting studio, search and rescue, and flying hospital.
The C-130J evolved from applying the latest technology to the proven C-130 design. The result offers improved performance and economy.
The design came after seventy-five formal trade studies, all of which were based on proven methods of reducing manpower and lowering life-cycle cost. Technical changes improved performance and operational characteristics over the C-130H.
For example, the C-130J’s Rolls-Royce AE2100D3 engines, rated at 4,591 shaft horsepower each, coupled with the distinctive six-blade Dowty Aerospace R391 all-composite propellers, substantially increase thrust, maximum speed, and fuel economy over the earlier Hercules. A Lucas full-authority digital electronic control unit controls this new propulsion system.
Performance ImprovementsThe operational benefits of the new propulsion system compared to the C-130H-30 (the longer fuselage length, or stretched model) include twenty-nine percent more takeoff thrust, fifteen percent lower fuel consumption, and nineteen percent more thrust at cruise speeds. The improved mission performance in the C-130J is both a tactical and a strategic airlift advantage. And it provides thirty-two percent reduction in takeoff distance, forty percent faster climb, sixteen percent higher cruise ceiling, and thirty knots faster maximum speed compared to the earlier models.
So what do all these percentages really mean? A reduced takeoff distance allows the C-130J to operate from shorter runways. A faster climb allows the C-130J to get to safe altitudes to avoid ground threats, such as shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles. A higher cruise ceiling allows the C-130J to operate on routes that are more fuel-efficient. A faster cruise speed allows for more sorties per day per aircraft.
Compared to the C-130E model, the C-130J can carry forty percent more cargo a distance of 2,500 nautical miles. With a 35,000-pound payload, the C-130J has forty percent greater range. The improvements in C-130J cargo capability are even more dramatic when the J-model operates in a hot weather environment.
Up Front And In BackThe C-130J cockpit is one of the most highly integrated of any military or commercial transport flying today. The underlying design components and enabling technologies for a two-pilot cockpit that eliminates both the flight engineer and the navigator positions have been proven through a series of trade studies that began in 1982. The two-pilot cockpit is designed to decrease the workload of that of earlier C-130s while maintaining or enhancing the pilot’s performance. The incorporation of a head-up display is an innovation in transport aircraft design. The C-130J HUD, which is certified by the FAA as a primary flight instrument, contributes directly to improved operational effectiveness and to overall flight safety. The infusion of technology in the flight deck is dramatic. The C-130J’s cockpit features include dual HUDs; a 1553B data bus architecture; modern, reliable digital avionics; four color multifunction liquid crystal displays compatible with night vision imaging systems; automated “set and forget” panels and controls; autothrottles and dual autopilots; dual mission computers; an integrated diagnostics system; an integrated communications, navigation, and identification system; dual global positioning system and inertial navigation systems; color weather/ground mapping radar; and a color digital map display.
The Enhanced Cargo Handling System, or ECHS, increases airdrop accuracy by controlling cargo exit parameters better. In addition, safety has also been enhanced. The loadmaster station, located up front in what had been the coat closet, permits control of the locks forward of the load throughout onload, offload, and airdrop missions. The handling system allows for more efficient use of the cargo compartment, which, like previous Hercules models, is ten feet wide by nine feet high by fifty-five feet long. The cargo compartment provides for fast, straight in, aft loading of many types of heavy cargo, including wheeled and tracked vehicles, mobile equipment, or Air Force and NATO standard 463L pallets, which are eighty-eight inches wide by 108 inches long. The cargo ramp is adjustable to ground level, to truck bed height, or to freight dock level. The ramp has been redesigned to allow for airdrops at speeds up to 250 knots. The number of troop seats or litter racks in the cargo compartment of either the standard or the stretched C-130J models remains the same—128 and ninety-seven on the CC-130J.
The primary components of the ECHS are flip-to-stow roller conveyors; an underfloor variable-speed winch for pulling cargo on to the aircraft; a recessed towplate; and the loadmaster’s console, which is tied into the 1553B data bus display.
The C-130J offers greater performance and value when compared to any other tactical airlifter. The two-pilot cockpit, reliable digital avionics, and new propulsion system are key factors for improving system reliability and maintainability, reducing maintenance man-hours per flight hour, and reducing flight and maintenance manpower. These improvements result in lower squadron operating and support costs, though the specific cost savings depend upon fleet size and maintenance concepts unique to each operator.
The J FamilyThe C-130J is being manufactured in several variants for customers around the world.
CC-130JThe stretched version of the Super Hercules was originally designated C-130J-30 but has been redesignated CC-130J by the US Air Force. This variant is gaining a reputation around the world for its tremendous range, speed, and lift capability. The CC-130J is based on the standard C-130J model but features a fuselage 180 inches longer that provides a greater lift capability required by many operators. When compared with the standard model, the CC-130J carries eight 463L pallets instead of six, ninety-seven medical liters instead of seventy-four, and twenty-four container delivery system bundles instead of sixteen. Most important, the CC-130J carries 128 combat troops instead of ninety-two for the standard model and ninety-two paratroops instead of sixty-four for the standard-size aircraft.
HC-130J The HC-130J long-range surveillance/search and rescue version will bolster the US Coast Guard’s current early 1970s- and 1980s-vintage HC-130H fleet while reducing maintenance costs and increasing efficiency, performance, and operability. The Coast Guard will also see a twenty-five percent increase in mission endurance with the HC-130J. The HC-130, which is the Coast Guard’s long-range aviation platform, is tasked to perform the service’s most demanding missions. The current HC-130H crews perform search and rescue, law enforcement (fisheries and drug interdiction), international ice patrol, and environment incident response. These assignments will remain the same for the HC-130J, though the dramatic increase in workload for the crews and aircraft seen over the last decade is expected to continue.
WC-130JThe WC-130Js are assigned to the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler AFB in Biloxi, Mississippi. It is the only unit in the world that routinely flies directly into the eye of a hurricane to carry out vital data gathering missions. This unit, commonly referred to as Hurricane Hunters, can monitor and track storm and hurricane movements. The Weatherbird program, as it is known, requires Lockheed Martin Aeronautics to test, develop, and integrate the specialized avionics, weather sensors, and structural modifications required for the weather reconnaissance mission into new C-130J airframes. To collect the necessary data, the WC-130J crew enters the storm at approximately 10,000 feet and repeatedly flies directly through the eye of the storm. The data allows forecasting centers to better predict the path of a storm or hurricane and its potential impact on population centers.
EC-130J Commando SoloThe EC-130J is an Air Force Special Operations Command asset. It will be flown by the 193rd Special Operations Wing, the Pennsylvania Air National Guard unit based at Harrisburg. Its mission is to carry out psychological warfare missions. The specially equipped EC-130J aircraft can broadcast programming using all commercial AM and FM radio bands; VHF and UHF television bands; and the military’s VHF, HF, and FM frequencies. Broadcasts from the aircraft are carried out in areas of military conflict or political unrest either to inform or to influence both military and civilian personnel in the area. The wing’s first modified aircraft will be delivered in 2003.
KC-130JThe KC-130J is the tanker variant of the J-model. It is currently in production for the US Marine Corps and for the Italian Air Force. Using only wing and external tanks, the KC-130J has a 57,500-pound (8,455 US gallons) fuel offload capability, compared with 38,000 pounds (5,588 US gallons) for the current and nearly forty-year-old KC-130F fleet. The KC-130J has a mission radius of 500 nautical miles. The standard probe-and-drogue configuration is suited for both helicopters and jet aircraft. Internal provisions for its own refueling probe provide even greater flexibility if required. As an example, the Flight Refueling Ltd. (FRL) Mark32B-901E aerial refueling system delivers 270 to 350 gallons per minute at fifty psig without the fuselage tank used on the legacy KC-130 fleet to provide pressure. The new propulsion system enhances ground refueling. The KC-130J, like all J-models, has a function that feathers the props while the turbines continue to run. Called Hotel Mode, this feature eliminates prop blast behind the aircraft so ground forces can operate in relative calm while the aircraft is being refueled. The KC-130J can offload up to 600 gallons of fuel per minute—nearly four times the current offload rate.
Customers
US GovernmentThe US government is the largest customer to date for the C-130J program with a total of fifty-six J-model variants on contract for the active duty Air Force, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve Command, Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard. The Air Force currently has a requirement for 168 C-130Js. The 2003 US defense budget contains a request for a multiyear acquisition of forty aircraft over five years.
The US Marine Corps has a requirement for fifty-one tankers with approval to pursue a multiyear acquisition plan for twenty-four aircraft as well. The two acquisitions will be combined to realize tremendous cost savings of more than ten percent for both services.
In 1999, the first C-130J was delivered to Air Force Reserve Command’s 403rd Wing at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. The 135th Airlift Group of the 175th Wing of the Baltimore-based unit of the Maryland Air National Guard was the first ANG unit to operate the C-130J. The 135th also received its first aircraft in 1999. In March 2001, the 135th led the testing to clear the entire US fleet of C-130Js to carry passengers and cargo throughout the continental United States, Alaska, and Canada and to operate in a range of icing conditions. In June of 2002, the US Air Force added overwater navigation and tactical airland operations to the C-130J’s list of permissible operations.
In late 2001, the first CC-130J in Air Force service was delivered to the 143rd Airlift Wing, the ANG unit at Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Last summer, the first CC-130J was delivered to the 146th Wing of the California ANG. When equipped with the Airborne Fire Fighting System, or AFFS, a new state-of-the-art fire retardant delivery system developed by Aero-Union, the CC-130J will provide the four firefighting C-130 units (three Air National Guard and one Air Force Reserve Command) with the most advanced airborne firefighting capability in the world.
Although the US Army is not a direct customer of the C-130J program, it certainly has a strong interest in the program because the J-model will primarily be used to transport Army equipment and troops. In fact, the Army recently announced a new parameter for new artillery vehicle acquisitions re-quiring the vehicles to be transportable in a C-130.
“While other airlifters, such as the newer C-17 and the older C-5, are much roomier, the C-130 is the dominant lift aircraft in the Air Force’s inventory,” said Gen. Eric Shinseki, Army Chief of Staff. The Stryker, the Army’s newest fighting vehicle gained permanent clearance last summer for loading and transport on the C-130.
The Coast Guard currently has six aircraft on order with the first HC-130J to be completed in 2003.
Royal Air ForceAs the launch customer, the Royal Air Force received the first C-130J off the production line. The first-born child of the C-130J program, actually a Hercules C. Mk. 4 (the RAF designation for the CC-130J), rolled out in October 1995. The same aircraft was used to make the type’s first flight on 5 April 1996. The first RAF aircraft was delivered in 1999 and the last in 2000. With twenty-five aircraft, fifteen Hercules C. Mk. 4 (CC-130J) and ten C. Mk. 5s, the RAF is the largest J-model operator in Europe. It also currently holds the only operational C-130J training and support facility, which resides at its main transport base, RAF Lyneham, England. No. 24 and 30 Squadrons are the two current RAF units flying the C-130J. The Red Arrows, the RAF’s jet demonstration team, use a J-model as its support aircraft. The RAF Falcons parachute display teams use the new Hercules as its jump aircraft. The RAF was also the first J-model operator to deploy its C-130J fleet into military service in Afghanistan.
Aeronautica Militare ItalianaThe Aeronautica Militare Italiana (the Italian Air Force), or AMI, is Europe’s second largest C-130J operator, with a total of twenty-two C-130J, CC-130J, and KC-130J aircraft on order. The National Training Center at Pisa AB opened in 2002. The Italian configuration of the C-130J is among the most sophisticated C-130Js yet developed. It has a highly advanced communications and defensive systems suite that includes UHF/VHF combined multiband radios and a laser warning receiver system. The AMI received its first aircraft in 2000. The AMI chose the C-130J because of its advanced defensive systems to return Mohamed Zahir Shah, the former king of Afghanistan, and Hamid Karzai, the interim head of the Afghan Administration, to Kabul. The AMI also assisted the US Air Force with defensive systems trials last summer. In addition, the AMI has the first C-130J receiver-tanker built, a tanker that can take on fuel itself. The AMI will be the first air force to use the Special Avionics Mission Strap-On-Now C-130 Open Skies Pod System, or SAMSON COPS, with the C-130J to support the Treaty on Open Skies.
Royal Australian Air ForceThe Royal Australian Air Force has more than four decades of experience flying the legacy Hercs. It became the first international C-130 customer in 1958. In 2000, The RAAF became the first J-model operator to receive all of its new aircraft, a dozen CC-130Js assigned to 37 Squadron at RAAF Richmond near Sydney. Since then, the RAAF has been operating its J-models while assisting other operators to help develop the aircraft’s operational and technical capabilities. As one of the first fleets to see international operations, the RAAF CC-130Js participated in missions to East Timor as early as 2001.
Flyvertaktisk KommandoThe latest customer to the C-130J family is the Flyvertaktisk Kommando, the Royal Danish Air Force. A contract for three CC-130Js with an option for a fourth was signed in December 2001. The first Danish aircraft began assembly in February of this year. Several of Denmark’s leading officials, including those who helped give birth to the Danish purchase, recently visited the Marietta, Georgia, site to view Lockheed Martin employees piece together the structural beginnings of their new next-generation Hercules. The first Danish aircraft, which will have the ECHS and a comprehensive electronic warfare system, is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2003. The new aircraft will replace the current Danish fleet, which consists of three 1975-vintage C-130Hs.
And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an artist in love with flight. — E. B. Jeppesen
