Staying Fit in the Field Through the Triad

Tanks & Triad

The United States Armed Forces utilize various transportation assets in support of global operations. Write a paper on the C-130 Hercules, answering the following questions; What is the combined and maximum load capacity of litter and ambulatory patients? What is the range of the vehicle? How many attendants are needed? How fast can the vehicle travel? Name advantages / disadvantages of using this particular asset?

The Hercules C-130 is a turbo-prop, high-wing aircraft that remains in continuous production today even though the original design specification was issued by the Air Force over 50 years ago. In addition to carrying 45,000 pounds of cargo, the C-130 has the capability of airlifting 92 ground troops, 64 fully equipped paratroopers, or 74 injured people on litters, or five standard freight pallets.

The C-130 functions admirably as a personnel carrier, fully accommodating 92 combat troops or, on the side-facing seats, accommodating 64 completely equipped paratroops. When serving as transport for medical evacuations, the C-130 can carry 74 litter patients and two medical attendants. The design maximum gross weight of the C-130 ranged from 155,000 pound to 175,000 pounds for wartime. The design specifications call for a normal landing weight of 130,000 pounds. Normal operating weight is roughly 80,000 pounds. Accordingly, the range of the C-130 is as follows: 1) with maximum payload, 2,356 miles or 2,049 nautical miles; 2) with roughly 25,000 pound or 11,250 kilograms of cargo, 2,500 miles or 2,174 nautical miles; or 3) with no cargo, 5,200 miles or 4,522 nautical miles. The airplane travels at 374 miles per hour (Mach 0.57) at 20,000 feet or 6,060 meters. The C-130 has a ceiling of 33,000 feet or 10,000 meters with 100,000 pounds or 45,000 kilograms of payload.

The number of attendants needed in the airplane is dependent upon the flight mission. Basic crew requirements includes five personnel consisting of two pilots, a navigator, a flight engineer and loadmaster. The minimum crew complement is four, consisting of two pilots, one flight engineer, and one loadmaster. Consideration must be paid to the need to allow for a 16-hour crew duty day or a 12-hour duty day for airdrop crews; crew duty day is determined from the time of show at the aircraft to parking at the final destination of the flight. The crew complement for airdrop missions is six, with one navigator and an extra loadmaster in addition to the minimum crew complement. When an augmented crew complement is called for, the number will increase to nine, consisting of three pilots, two navigators, two flight engineers, and two loadmasters. For an augmented crew complement, the crew duty day is 18 hours.

The C-130 Hercules has been in service for five decades, undergoing many modifications of its basic airframe to meet continuously changing mission requirements and environments. Indeed, a prime advantage of the C-130 is its mission effectiveness, great versatility, and reliable performance. The C-130 is designed to use unprepared runways. The number of accumulated flight hours of the "Herc" exceeds well over 20 million hours.