C-130 HerculesNickname: "Herc"
The Hercules, considered to be one of the most versatile transport planes, is used to airlift troops, equipment and cargo, in Search and Rescue (SAR) operations and in air-to-air refuelling of fighters.The Hercules can be loaded and unloaded quickly, with little equipment, and is especially useful in delivering supplies because it does not need a lot of room to land.
The plane can also be easily re-configured to carry fuel. During Operation Boxtop, the restocking of Canadian Forces Station Alert, the northernmost permanent habitation in the world, Hercules' are fitted with large fuel tanks to transport more than 100 planeloads of fuel.
Since entering the fleet in 1960, the Hercules has delivered humanitarian aid to trouble spots around the world. In 1999, Canadian Hercules crews ferried emergency relief supplies to tens of thousands of refugees forced out of Kosovo by the Serbian campaign of ethnic cleansing.
By late June 2003, the Tactical Airlift Detachment (TAL Det) of Operation Apollo had carried approximately six thousand passengers and over 15 million pounds of freight.
Technical Details
| Length | 29.3 m (97.8 ft) |
| Wingspan | 39.7 m (132.5 ft) |
| Height | 11.4 m (38.3 ft) |
| Weight | Cargo: 16,330 kg (36,000 lbs) |
| Takeoff: 69,750 kg (155,000 lbs) | |
| Power | Four Allison T-56-A-7/15 engines |
| Speed | 602 km/hr at 6,060 m (20,000 ft) |
| Ceiling | 10,000 m (33,000 ft) |
| Range | Maximum payload: 3,790 km (2,049 nautical miles) |
| Empty: 8,368 km (4,522 nautical miles) | |
| Load | 17,320 kg or 92 passengers |
| Crew | 7 (SAR) or 2 pilots, 1 navigator, 1 flight engineer, and 1 loadmaster (Transport) |
| Troops | up to 90 |
| Paratroops | 64 |
| Litters | 74 plus two attendants |
| Year(s) procured | 1960 to 1991 |
| Quantity in CF | 32 |
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