The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport aircraft. The versatile airframe has found uses in other roles, including as a gunship (AC-130), for airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol, and aerial firefighting. It is now the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. More than 40 variants of the Hercules, including civilian versions marketed as the Lockheed L-100, operate in more than 60 nations.
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
A C-130 Hercules flight deck. Aircraft displayed at the Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection
A Michigan Air National Guard C-130E dispatches its flares during a low-level training mission
Two C-130 Hercules in South Korea, 1984
A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller.
GE T64 turboprop, with the propeller on the left, the gearbox with accessories in the middle, and the gas generator (turbine) on the right
A Rolls-Royce RB.50 Trent on a test rig at Hucknall, in March 1945
The Kuznetsov NK-12 is the most powerful turboprop to enter service
A military transport aircraft, over 2,500 Lockheed C-130 Hercules have been built
