Lockheed C-130 Hercules

what is it?

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American, four-engined, turboprop, military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport aircraft. Its versatile airframe has found other uses, including as a gunship (AC-130), for airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol, and aerial firefighting.

🔎How to recognise it: 4 turboprops · high wing · 40.4 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 593 km/htop speed
• range 3,797 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 92passengers
• size 70.3 tmax take-off weight
• built 2,600made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 72 years ago, in 1954.
• 🏎️Top speed is 4.6× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 40.4 m: about 9 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 12 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 3,797 km: 21× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.1× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

turboprop: A jet-style turbine turning a propeller: efficient on short hops.

spec sheet

first flight

1954-08-23

introduced

1956

status

still flying

number built

2,600

role

tactical airlifter

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Lockheed Martin

engines

4× Allison T56-A-15 / Allison 501 family

crew

5

passengers

92

length

29.8 m

wingspan

40.4 m

height

11.7 m

max take-off weight

70.3 t

top speed

593 km/h

cruise speed

541 km/h

range

3,797 km

ceiling

10,058 m

wings

high wing

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family