C-130 Hercules: A History Hardcover – October 30, 2017

As a former C-130 flight engineer during the Vietnam War, I enjoyed the photos and script concerning my time there.

Excellent history of the C-130...detailed and can stir memories for those of that are Vietnam Vets.

Thanks

In classical mythology, Hercules was famous for his strength and heroic exploits. Whoever chose his name for this aircraft got it exactly right - because it soon became the workhorse of various military forces around the world. When I was a serving member of British airborne forces, I also came to like and respect this fabulous aircraft. In 1990, when serving with 3 Para, I was even instrumental in getting a silver model (1/72 scale) built for and presented to the Parachute Regiment to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their formation.The story of the Hercules began in 1950 when a USAF colonel addressed a high-level meeting at the Pentagon. He informed those present that US Forces were in great need of a new type of transport aircraft which should be capable of carrying a 30,000 lb payload of freight or men over a distance of 1,500 nautical miles and be able to take off and land on difficult terrain. At that time neither engines nor airframes existed to meet such criteria. Nevertheless, the die was cast and, in 1951 the requirement was officially voiced to various US aircraft manufacturers.Of the four contenders, Lockheed had opted for a workmanlike and uncomplicated design - and, even today, the latest models are regarded as extremely rugged and easy to maintain. More importantly, however, Lockheed elected to dismiss conventional piston engines in favour of the untried turboprops. Such brave steps are exactly how history is made and the first prototype flew in 1954 with aircraft arriving in US Forces by 1956. Since then over 80 different variants have been produced - serving more than 60 air-forces plus other civilian interests around the world.This, quite exceptional book by Martin Bowman provides all those with an interest in the complete history of the aircraft as we learn of those early days, ongoing developments and the various roles undertaken. These include; airborne assault, military transport, in-flight refueling, civil aircraft, flying hospital, humanitarian roles, fire-fighting tankers and even gunships (to name some!).It is a richly illustrated book with plenty of colour and B&W images on the majority of pages. These include a wide cross-section of exactly what the reader will expect to find and do much to support a story that is well-told throughout. Altogether, it is an excellent product and one which will stand the test of time – although we are also informed it is a story which is not yet over!NMBritish army major (retired)

The Lockheed C-130 is a truly outstanding aeroplane: in production since 1954 it has been sold in more than 2.500 units all over the world and from time to time many new and ambitious projects (last but not least the problematic A400M) pretend to succeed it, but with no chance. The “Herky bird” stands on the throne undaunted and unreachable, with pilots, engineers and tens of operators praising the sturdiness, versatility and roughness of the design. This nice book explains the reason of the success of this incredible cargo plane, starting from the ingenuity of the first idea of a quad turboprop with abundance of power, roomy cargo bay and high performance.Then author Bowman describes in detail the operational deployment with USAF in the Vietnamese scenario that started an incredible development of the Hercules from a plain cargo to a true family of multirole aircraft fully qualified for an incredible range of missions, from Special Ops and aerial refueling to combat SAR, electronic warfare and ELINT.The most important operations are also featured, like the Israeli raid in Entebbe and the unfortunate “Eagle Claw” operation organized by USA to free the American hostages in Tehran.Other interesting features are the chapters devoted to RAF and RAAF operations and the appendixes with a brief description of the operators and the prolific family of variants. A very interesting and well written book on an aviation legend.

Very detailed and comprehensive history of the C-130, made difficult to read and follow by poor to nonexistent editing and proofing. I almost gave up several times.

This book is super interesting for any aircraft enthusiast. I bought it for a friend who's an ex RAF Hercules pilot and he loved it.

Awesome! Love the C130 aircraft

Very informative.