Yahoo Autos The C-130 Just Never Dies
Lockheed Martin started building its latest civilian version of the iconic C-130 Hercules in Marietta, Georgia earlier this week. The company's new LM-100J will bring the advancements of the C-130J Super Hercules to civilian operators such as the United Nations.
The C-130 just never dies. Why? Because almost no other aircraft can do what the Herc does best: reliably haul outsized loads into and out of short, rough airstrips in the middle of nowhere.
"When people see a C-130 painted white with 'U.N.' on the tail, it means help, it means relief"
"They obviously did its design right," says Tom Wetherall, director of LM-100J Business Development for Lockheed Martin. "It's been in production for 60 years. It's got a high-wing. It's a turboprop. The engines and propellers are out of harm's way... The straight wing yields the efficiency to get in and out of dirt runways, to get the weight off the wheels as soon as possible. The fuselage is low to the ground at truck-bed height, which combines with the rear loading capability. It's a configuration that's second to none."
The first C-130 rolled out in 1954. Since then, Lockheed has built more than 2,500 at its Georgia assembly plant. More than ten variants of the airplane, including AC-130 gunships and WC-130 weather reconnaissance aircraft, serve U.S. and global militaries.
