The C-130 celebrates 60 years and still going strong

by Staff Sgt. Amber R. Kelly-Herard
Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

8/22/2014 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill.  -- In 1954, the song "Rock Around the Clock" was playing on the radio, Oprah Winfrey was born and the first issue of Sports Illustrated appeared on newsstands.

That same year, on August 23, the YC-130 Hercules made its maiden flight at the Lockheed Martin plant in Burbank, California, and the C-130 is still in production today, making it the longest running military aircraft production line in history.

The need for the C-130 came from Air Force's Tactical Air Command in 1951, after the Korean War, to fill a void for medium-cargo tactical transport.

"In its first six decades, the C-130 shaped aviation history, redefined industry standards and exhibited flexibility that other aircraft have yet to match," said George Shultz, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager, C-130 Programs, in a Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company press release. "The C-130 remains the world's most proven airlifter because of its ability to adapt, remain relevant and deliver results no matter the mission."

The C-130 is the most modified aircraft in the Air Force with multiple variants and hundreds of configurations, according to the AMC Historian Office. The C-130 is used for airlift, aeromedical missions, personnel and cargo airdrop, natural disaster relief missions, Antarctic resupply to the National Science Foundation, weather reconnaissance, aerial spray missions and firefighting duties for the U.S. Forest Service. The C-130 can airlift 92 ground troops, 64 fully-equipped paratroopers, 74 litter patients or 45,000 pounds of cargo.

The C-130J, which is the latest version of the venerable platform, was introduced February of 1999.

To date, the Air Force has 145 C-130s in the active force, 181 in the Air National Guard and 102 in the Air Force Reserve.

Currently, two Department of Defense C-130 Hercules equipped with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems from the 153rd Airlift Wing, Cheyenne, Wyoming, are assisting with wildfire suppression in the Northwest, Great Basin, under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command.