
Flight Craft 32: Lockheed C-130 Hercules
by
Ben Skipper
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781399080378
Publication Date: 03/06/2025
“…well worth picking up if you are a fan of the type. It reads well and has a lot of photos of the real deal; many of them fairly current and in full color.” ModelingMadness.Com
Known as ‘Fat Albert’, Lockheed’s ubiquitous C130 Hercules was a product of combat experiences gained during the Korean War, a conflict that highlighted the need for a rugged transport aircraft designed with a doanything, goanywhere ethos in mind. First flown in August 1954, the C130, powered by four turboprop engines mounted underneath a high wing which allowed for effortless loading via a rear ramp, soon proved its worth as a highly versatile aircraft.
The easily configured cargo area helped the C130 stand out from the crowd, and soon variants began to appear, with the first being a skiequipped resupply aircraft. It was this type of tasking the C130 excelled at, and soon air movement staff was developing new ways to deploy cargo. This included lowlevel drops, proving invaluable in aiding isolated disasterstruck areas. Other variants included airtoair tankers, electronic reconnaissance platforms and weather reconnaissance aircraft.
Now produced by Lockheed Martin, the C130 has become synonymous with tactical airlifting and is the longest continuously produced military aircraft since the first one rolled off the production line in 1954. In fact, since its introduction into service the C130 has produced over seventy variants, including gunships, searchandrescue and scientific research aircraft, and is currently in service with some seventy nations. As well as the military C130, Lockheed has also produced a commercial variant of their famous aircraft, the L100.
Not for nothing do Lockheed Martin claim that there is at least one C130 airborne somewhere in the world at any given moment in time. With over 2,500 produced, and some almost thirty years old, that's more than plausible.
This Flight Craft title offers the aviation enthusiast, historian and modeller an exciting selection of C130related resources through photographs, illustrations and excellent showcase examples to help build their own versions of this hugely successful, highly flexible aircraft.
Known as ‘Fat Albert’, Lockheed’s ubiquitous C130 Hercules was a product of combat experiences gained during the Korean War, a conflict that highlighted the need for a rugged transport aircraft designed with a doanything, goanywhere ethos in mind. First flown in August 1954, the C130, powered by four turboprop engines mounted underneath a high wing which allowed for effortless loading via a rear ramp, soon proved its worth as a highly versatile aircraft.
The easily configured cargo area helped the C130 stand out from the crowd, and soon variants began to appear, with the first being a skiequipped resupply aircraft. It was this type of tasking the C130 excelled at, and soon air movement staff was developing new ways to deploy cargo. This included lowlevel drops, proving invaluable in aiding isolated disasterstruck areas. Other variants included airtoair tankers, electronic reconnaissance platforms and weather reconnaissance aircraft.
Now produced by Lockheed Martin, the C130 has become synonymous with tactical airlifting and is the longest continuously produced military aircraft since the first one rolled off the production line in 1954. In fact, since its introduction into service the C130 has produced over seventy variants, including gunships, searchandrescue and scientific research aircraft, and is currently in service with some seventy nations. As well as the military C130, Lockheed has also produced a commercial variant of their famous aircraft, the L100.
Not for nothing do Lockheed Martin claim that there is at least one C130 airborne somewhere in the world at any given moment in time. With over 2,500 produced, and some almost thirty years old, that's more than plausible.
This Flight Craft title offers the aviation enthusiast, historian and modeller an exciting selection of C130related resources through photographs, illustrations and excellent showcase examples to help build their own versions of this hugely successful, highly flexible aircraft.
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Flight Craft 32: Lockheed C-130 Hercules
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