Each day critical supplies must to be carried to Marines deployed around the world.  The aircraft called on to do the job for the last 50 years is usually a variant of the C-130 Hercules.

Lacking the pointy nose of a fighter, the “Herc” is sometimes dismissed by the general public, but to the troops on the ground there is a fond affection for the capacious, multirole, four-engine aircraft.

First flown in August 1954 in the U.S. Air Force, the C-130 entered Marine Corps service when 46 GV-1s (later re-designated KC-130Fs) were procured in 1962.  Proving to be faster, more maneuverable and with more cargo capacity than the R-4D (the military derivative of the DC-3 in service since WW II) these aircraft were soon followed by more C-130Fs, identical to the KC-130F with refueling equipment removed.  Designed with versatility in mind, the Hercules could be rapidly reconfigured to carry cargo, 92 combat troops, 64 paratroops or 74 litters for medical evacuation. It could land on  unimproved runways or make a delivery by airdrop.

In October and November 1963, a USMC KC-130F (BuNo 149798) was loaned to the US Naval Air Test Center and demonstrated 29 touch-and-go landings, 21 unarrested full-stop landings and 21 unassisted take-offs on the USS Forrestal, to see if the aircraft was suitable in the Carrier Onboard Delivery role. While it wasn’t found to be a good choice in that role, the aircraft has continued to perform a variety of missions. 

The Navy’s flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, is supported by a Marine Corps C-130, nicknamed Fat Albert.  From 1975 until 2010 ‘Bert was even a performer at every show, demonstrating the exceptional short takeoff capability provided by using Jet-Assisted Takeoff bottles. It was a Navy LC-130 flown by Capt. Moe Morris and crew from VXE-6 that made the first landing at Antarctica.

Today, five Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadrons operate the KC-130J.  Like its predecessors, the J-model fills the aerial refueling mission and tactical cargo resupply.  These aircraft can be also configured with a roll-on / roll-off system known as Harvest HAWK (Hercules Airborne Weapons Kit) to carry Hellfire and Griffen GPS guided missiles, along with infrared and television cameras. First deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, the system has proven lethally effective in providing close air support, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance in addition to finding improvised explosive devices.

Wherever Marines have gone in harms’ way, from Khe Sahn, to Desert Storm, to the Anbar Province, the Hercules has been there with them. 

Here at NAWCAD, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron TWENTY (VX-20) supports ongoing development of new capability for this legendary aircraft, that will certainly continue to serve well into the second century of Marine Corps aviation.

– RM