Capy, Xavier - The Lockheed C-130 Hercules - Vol. I Europe (ebook)
Although the Douglas DC-3 - alias C-47 in its mili-
tary version - holds the absolute record for the num-
ber of aircraft produced in the transport category, it
remains an airliner designed primarily to carry passen-
gers, modified by the addition of a double cargo door
to facilitate freight loading. The Lockheed C-130 Her-
cules, on the other hand, was the first aircraft specifical-
ly designed for tactical transport to achieve worldwide
success: more than 2,500 of these aircraft are now or
have been used by 75 air forces on five continents.
And that's not counting civilian companies and go-
vernment agencies. And, remarkably, it is still in pro-
duction more than 70 years after its first flight... Even
more remarkable is its astonishing longevity. Some
aircraft delivered over 50 years ago are still in active
service.
And yet, shortly after the launch of the Hercules pro-
gramme, Lockheed officials declared that they would
be satisfied if production reached 300 aircraft! No
other military transport aircraft has been able to steal
this record, and it is unlikely that it will ever be beaten.
This book is the first in a series that will run for
several years and cover all users of the Hercules, both
military and civilian. Each volume will review the air
forces of one or more continents: after the European
air forces will come, in two volumes, those of Africa,
Australasia, the Middle East, Central and South Ame-
rica. Then an entire volume will be devoted to the US
Air Force, by far the largest user, which has developed
an impressive number of sub-versions adapted to spe-
cific missions. Another volume will bring together the
other American users (US Navy, US Marine Corps,
Nasa, etc.) and the series will close with a very last
volume entirely dedicated to civilian users.
In this first volume, the first part presents the air-
craft, its origins, characteristics and main versions. A
great many books, mainly American and English, have
already dealt with the Hercules, so we don't claim to
give the most comprehensive technical description of
the C-130; our aim is rather to provide in this chapter
the elements needed to better understand the evolu-
tion of the aircraft over the years and the reasons for
its great success. On the other hand, in this collection
we endeavor to retrace the career of the Hercules with
each of its users, with a complete list of aircraft, their
current fate, their careers and the units that have ope-
rated them.
Of course, fleet situations are constantly evolving,
with downtime, withdrawals, accidents, new aircraft
deliveries and so on. For this reason, the data we pro-
vide reflects the situation at the time each volume goes
to press.
192 pages - in English
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