The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. It is the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. Over 40 models and variants of the Hercules serve more than 50 nations. The C-130 remains in production as the updated C-130J Super Hercules.
Capable of takeoffs and landings from unprepared runways, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport aircraft. The Hercules family has the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft in history. The Korean War showed that World War II-era transports were inadequate for modern warfare. On February 2, 1951, the United States Air Force issued a General Operating Requirement for a new transport that would have a capacity for 92 passengers, 72 combat troops or 64 paratroopers, takeoff capability from short and unprepared strips, and the ability to fly with one engine shut down.
The first flight of the YC-130 prototype was made on August 23, 1954 from the Lockheed plant in Burbank, California on a 61-minute flight to Edwards Air Force Base. After the two prototypes were completed, production began in Marietta, Georgia, where more than 2,000 C-130s have been built. Deliveries began in December 1956, continuing until the introduction of the C-130B model in 1959.
