View source for Lockheed C-130 Hercules

{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Lockheed C-130 Hercules
| image = C-130T Hercules Blue Angels.jpg
| caption = Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Photo: United States Navy, Public domain, via [[commons:File:C-130T Hercules Blue Angels.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Lockheed
| type = Tactical airlifter
| origin = United States
| first_flight = 1954-08-23
| produced = 1954–present
| status = In service
| number_built = 2,700+ (as of June 2024)
| faa_registered = 50 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = 5 (2 pilots, CSO/navigator, flight engineer and loadmaster), 42000 lb payload ** C-130E/H/J cargo hold: length, 40 ft; width, 9 ft; height, 9 ft. Rear ramp: length, 123 in; width, 119 in ** C-130J-30 cargo hold: length, 55 ft; width, 9 ft; height, 9 ft. Rear ramp: length, 123 in; width, 119 in ** 92 passengers or ** 64 airborne troops or ** 74 litter patients with 5 medical crew or ** 6 pallets or ** 2–3 Humvees or ** 2 M113 armored personnel carriers ** 1 CAESAR self-propelled howitzer
| engine = 4 × Allison T56-A-15, 4590 shp
| cruise = 292 kn (C-130H)
| range = 2,050 nmi (C-130H)
| ceiling = 33,000 ft (C-130H)
| gross_weight = 155,000 lb (C-130H)
| category = Military aircraft
}}

The '''Lockheed C-130 Hercules''' is a four-engine turboprop military transport designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Able to take off and land on unprepared runways, it was designed to carry troops, cargo and the wounded, and its airframe has also become a gunship (AC-130), a search-and-rescue, weather-reconnaissance, refueling, maritime-patrol and firefighting airplane. More than 40 versions, including the civilian Lockheed L-100, fly in more than 60 nations.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there are 50 civil-registered Hercules and L-100s.<ref name="faa"/>

== History ==
The Korean War showed that World War II piston transports such as the C-119, C-47 and C-46 were no longer good enough. On February 2, 1951, the U.S. Air Force asked nine companies for a new transport able to carry 92 passengers, 72 combat troops or 64 paratroopers.<ref name="wp"/> Lockheed won, and the C-130 entered U.S. service in 1956.<ref name="wp"/>

In 2007 it became the fifth aircraft to mark 50 years of continuous service with its original customer, the U.S. Air Force, and in 2024 it reached 70 years in production, the longest continuously produced military aircraft.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''50''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| C-130H || 15
|-
| C-130A || 9
|-
| 382G-44K-30 || 8
|-
| 382G || 5
|-
| 382J || 5
|-
| EC130Q || 3
|-
| 382 44C (C130K) || 1
|-
| 382-44C-05 (C-130-K) || 1
|-
| L-382G-44K-30 || 1
|-
| L-382G || 1
|-
| HC130H || 1
|}
</div>

== Specifications (C-130H) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! C-130H
|-
| Crew || 5 (2 pilots, CSO/navigator, flight engineer and loadmaster)
|-
| Passengers / capacity || 42000 lb payload ** C-130E/H/J cargo hold: length, 40 ft; width, 9 ft; height, 9 ft. Rear ramp: length, 123 in; width, 119 in ** C-130J-30 cargo hold: length, 55 ft; width, 9 ft; height, 9 ft. Rear ramp: length, 123 in; width, 119 in ** 92 passengers or ** 64 airborne troops or ** 74 litter patients with 5 medical crew or ** 6 pallets or ** 2–3 Humvees or ** 2 M113 armored personnel carriers ** 1 CAESAR self-propelled howitzer
|-
| Length || 97 ft 9 in
|-
| Wingspan || 132 ft 7 in
|-
| Height || 38 ft 3 in
|-
| Wing area || 1745 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 75,800 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 155,000 lb
|-
| Engine || 4 × Allison T56-A-15, 4590 shp (turboprop engines)
|-
| Propeller || Hamilton Standard 54H60 constant-speed fully feathering reversible propellers
|-
| Maximum speed || 320 kn
|-
| Cruise speed || 292 kn
|-
| Range || 2,050 nmi
|-
| Service ceiling || 33,000 ft
|-
| Rate of climb || 1,830 ft/min
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:C-130E Hercules dropping flares.jpg|Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Photo: Master Sergeant Munnaf Joarder, Public domain
File:C-130 Hercules 10.jpg|C-130 Angel Flares, this came from my father it's one of his pictures. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain
File:DaNangairbase1965.jpg|Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain
File:C-130 Hercules cockpit hg.jpg|Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Photo: Hannes Grobe, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, , CC BY-SA 2.5
File:C-130 Hercules performs a tactical landing on a dirt strip.jpg|Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Photo: USAF / Tech. Sgt. Brian E. Christiansen, Public domain
File:C-130E MAFFS dropping fire retardant Simi Fire Southern California DF-SD-05-14857.jpg|Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Photo: SSGT ALEX KOENIG, USAF, Public domain
File:C-130 support oil spill cleanup.jpg|Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Photo: Technical Sergeant Adrian Cadiz, Public domain
File:C-130 Kham Duc.jpg|Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Photo: The photograph belonged to the sourced material Uploaded by Canpark at, Public domain
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Lockheed C-130 Hercules ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_C-130_Hercules Lockheed C-130 Hercules]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>