The Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules made its maiden flight on August 23, 1954. This venerable warbird is officially a septuagenarian and still going strong. Lockheed Martin was formed by the merger of the Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995.
The C-130 is still serving the USAF after 69 years. A major reason for this longevity is the plane's amazing versatility. Simple Flying now examines how and why the "Herc" has made history and stayed in the fight for so long.
C-130: one aircraft, many iterations One secret to the C-130's longevity is that it has been adapted over time to suit the changing needs of the US military. It is also a very versatile aircraft. Lockheed Martin has this to say about the current iteration of the "Herc," namely the C-130J on their product info page : "One aircraft, many missions .
.. no aircraft in history or operation today can match the C- 130J’s 19 certified, diverse, multi-mission capabilities.
These capabilities are either built as a production variant or can be provided through a roll-on/roll-off configuration, providing additional resources with a short turn around installation time...
Innovation never stops, and neither do we. For 70 years, the C-130 Hercules has been at the forefront of tactical airlift missions, continuously evolving to meet the needs of our global operators." The company produces seven variants of the C-130J: C-130J-30 Super Hercules EC-130J Commando Solo HC-130J Combat King II HC-130J Coast Guard KC-130J.
