Lockheed LC-130

LC-130 Hercules

An LC-130 rocket assisted takeoff from the Greenland Icecap
Role	Ski-equipped military transport aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Lockheed Lockheed Martin
First flight	1956
Status	Active
Primary users	United States Navy United States Air Force
Developed from	C-130 Hercules

A USAF LC-130 at Williams Field, Antarctica, 2006, with Mt. Erebus volcano in background

The Lockheed LC-130 is a ski-equipped United States Air Force variant of the C-130 Hercules used in the Arctic and Antarctic. Ten are currently in service with the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard.^[1]

Design and development

The LC-130 started as a prototype model developed by modifying a C-130A with skis in 1956.^[2] After testing in 1957, 12 additional C-130A models were modified with skis and hydraulics under the designation of C-130D.^[3]^[4] In 1959 the first four factory equipped, ski-based Hercules were produced under the Navy designation of UV-1L. These C-130's are USAF C-130B models. Later in the program the designation was changed from UV-1L to C-130BL. This designation was again later changed to LC-130F when aircraft nomenclature was standardized for all services by the U. S. Defense Department in 1962. These four aircraft were bought by the Navy Department to support the Navy’s Antarctic expedition that was ongoing at the time.^[5] The Navy also bought one LC-130R model in 1968. The National Science Foundation bought the second set of aircraft as replacement aircraft. The Polar Program Division of the Foundation had assumed management of the Antarctic Program in the early 1970s. These aircraft were designated LC-130R and were delivered in two lots: the first lot of three in 1974 and the remaining two in 1976.

The primary mission of the LC-130 is supporting the scientific community in Antarctica by transporting cargo and personnel from the McMurdo Station to field stations and camps, including the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station.

The aircraft are equipped with retractable skis that allow the aircraft to land on snow and ice as well as on conventional runways. The aircraft have provisions for using jet-assisted-takeoff (JATO) rockets, four on each side of the aircraft, that are used when the LC-130 operates from rough, unprepared snow surfaces or when shorter takeoff runs are needed. Originally the expended rocket bottles were jettisonable, but due to several accidents which occurred when a bottle detached from the aircraft during takeoff, the mounting provisions were changed so that the bottles could not be released in the air.

Operational history

Close up of LC-130 nose ski

The Navy Antarctic Development Squadron Six (First designated VX-6, then VXE-6 from 1969) originally operated the LC-130 aircraft. Initially, VXE-6 was home based at the Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island and later at the Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California. Operation of the aircraft was transferred in 1999 to the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard when Navy support of the Antarctic program was terminated and VXE-6 was decommissioned.

Currently all LC-130 aircraft are operated by the New York Air National Guard and are based at the Air National Guard's facility at Schenectady County Airport. There are two versions. Seven aircraft are LC-130H-2 (Three of these were Navy LC-130R from VXE-6 converted to LC-130H-2). Three are LC-130H-3.

References

Hawkins, Joe. "The Entire LC-130 Production List". Retrieved 2009-02-07.

"Development of the C-130D". Retrieved 2009-02-07.

↑ "New York LC-130 leaves Hickam for Operation Deep Freeze" By Tech. Sgt. Kerry Jackson, 13th Air Force Public Affairs. 21 October 2010
↑ http://www.firebirds.org/menu13/mnu13_p1.htm
↑ http://www.firebirds.org/menu13/mnu13_p1.htm
↑ http://www.vaq34.com/lc130list/c-130d.htm
↑ http://www.vaq34.com/lc130list/c-130f.htm

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to LC-130 Hercules (ski-equipped variant).

Lockheed C-130 Hercules
Basic versions	C-130A C-130E C-130H C-130J
Modified variants	AC-130 DC-130 EC-130E EC-130H EC-130J HC-130 KC-130 LC-130 MC-130 WC-130
Civil variants	L-100 L-382
Related lists	Accidents and incidents Operators

Lockheed and Lockheed Martin aircraft
Airliners and civil transports	Vega Model 8 Sirius Altair Model 9 Orion Model 10 Electra Model 12 Electra Junior Model 14 Super Electra Model 18 Lodestar Constellation L-049 L-649 L-749 L-1049 Super Constellation L-1249 Super Constellation L-1649 Starliner Saturn L-188 Electra L-402 JetStar L-100 Hercules L-1011 TriStar
Military transports	C-69 Constellation C-121 Constellation C-130 Hercules C-130J Super Hercules DC-130 HC-130 KC-130 LC-130 MC-130 C-141 Starlifter C-5 Galaxy R6V Constitution Tristar (RAF)
Attack and bombers	YP-24 Hudson XB-30 Ventura AC-130 A-4AR F-117 Have Blue FB-22
Drones/UAVs	AQM-60 Kingfisher D-21 Desert Hawk Desert Hawk III Fury MQM-105 Aquila Polecat RQ-3 Darkstar RQ-170 Sentinel
EW and reconnaissance	YO-3 EC-121 Warning Star EC-130 EC-130H WC-130 EP-3 U-2 TR-X A-12 SR-71 Blackbird SR-72
Fighters	XFM-2 YP-24 P-38 Lightning XP-49 XP-58 Chain Lightning P-80 Shooting Star XF-90 F-94 Starfire F-104 Starfighter variants YF-12 F-16 Fighting Falcon F-22 Raptor YF-22 F-35 Lightning II
Helicopters	CL-475 XH-51 AH-56 Cheyenne VH-71 Kestrel
Maritime patrol	P-2 Neptune P-3 Orion P-7 S-3 Viking CP-140 Aurora
Trainers	T-33 T2V SeaStar
Experimental	L-133 L-301 NF-104A QueSST Senior Peg Senior Prom XC-35 XF-104 XV-4 Hummingbird X-7 X-17 X-24C X-26B Frigate CL-1200 Lancer X-33 X-35 X-44 X-55 X-56 XFV
Other	Air Express Big Dipper Model 44 Excalibur Explorer Little Dipper

United States military transport aircraft designations, Army/Air Force and Tri-Service systems
Army/Air Force sequence (1925-1962)	C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6 C-7 C-8 C-9 C-10 C-11 C-12 C-13¹ C-14 C-15 C-16 C-17 C-18 C-19 C-20 C-21 C-22 C-23 C-24 C-25 C-26 C-27 C-28 C-29 C-30 C-31 C-32 C-33 C-34 C-35 C-36 C-37 C-38 C-39 C-40 C-41/A C-42 C-43 C-44 C-45 C-46 C-47/T C-48 C-49 C-50 C-51 C-52 C-53 C-54 C-55 C-56 C-57 C-58 C-59 C-60 C-61 C-62 C-63 C-64 C-65 C-66 C-67 C-68 C-69 C-70/A/B/C/D C-71 C-72 C-73 C-74 C-75 C-76 C-77/B-D C-78 C-79 C-80 C-81 C-82 C-83 C-84 C-85 C-86 C-87 C-88 C-89 C-90 C-91 C-92 C-93 C-94 C-95 C-96 C-97/KC-97 C-98 C-99 C-100 C-101 C-102 C-103 C-104 C-105 C-106 C-107 C-108 C-109 C-110 C-111 C-112 C-113 C-114 C-115 C-116 C-117 C-118 C-119 C-120 C-121/F C-122 C-123/A C-124 C-125 C-126 C-127 (I) C-127 (II) C-128 C-129 C-130/J C-131 C-132 C-133 C-134 C-135/KC-135 C-136 C-137 C-138¹ C-139¹ C-140 C-141 C-142
Tri-service sequence (1962-present)	C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6 C-7/B C-8 C-9 C-10 C-11 C-12 C-13¹ C-14 C-15 C-16¹ C-17 C-18 C-19 C-20A-D/F-H C-21 C-22 C-23 C-24 C-25 C-26 C-27/J C-28 C-29 C-30¹ C-31 C-32 C-33 C-34¹ C-35 C-36 C-37A/B C-38 C-39¹ C-40 C-41 C-42¹ C-43¹ C-44¹ C-45 C-46
Revived original sequence (2005-present)	C-143 C-144 C-145 C-146
Non-sequential designations	C-767 C-880
¹ Not assigned See also: AC-47 • AC-119 • AC-130 • DC-130 • EC-130 • HC-130 • KC-130 • LC-130 • MC-130 • WC-130 • CT-39 • CT-43

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Lockheed LC-130

Design and development

Operational history

See also

References

External links