4
The design has proved versatile. The aircraft has been flown from both poles and has landed and
taken off from an aircraft carrier. Some of the C-130 missions include cargo hauling, air drop,
bombing, air-to-ground gunnery, drone launching, photo mapping, missile tracking, covert
ingress and egress, air evacuation, airborne battle control, electronic warfare, and television
broadcasting. The C-130 can carry 90 troops (life raft capability limits the number to 80 for
overwater flights) or 64 paratroopers. The record passenger count for the C-130 is 452 set during
the evacuation of Vietnam. The C-130A aircraft used on this mission is prominently displayed at
the main gate at Little Rock AFB, AR.
RANGE-PAYLOAD
The C-130 is the primary tactical airlifter for the USAF, meaning that the C-130 mission is to
deliver materiel within (inter-) the theater of operations. The strategic airlift (deploying forces
from the CONUS to the theater) is the responsibility of the C-5, C-17, and Civil Air Reserve
Fleet (CRAF). The following is a range-payload diagram for selected air-drop capable mobility
aircraft. These data represent theoretical maximum performance, and do not account for
operational limitations that affect the range-payload of a specific mission (takeoff temperature
and pressure altitude, runway length, required departure climb gradient, maximum landing
weights, etc). For example, the two engine aircraft (C-160, C-27J) appear to have better range
performance than the four-engine aircraft. The better range performance results from their lighter
operating weights (C-160 60,000 lbs, versus C-130 at 82,000 lbs). However, the allowable
takeoff gross weight for the C-160 and C-27J is much more limited by the engine-out climb
gradient than for the four engine aircraft. Under a given set of takeoff conditions, the four engine
aircraft can depart at a significantly higher gross weight, and hence will likely have better cargo
or range capability.
The range-payload comparison makes it clear that the C-130 is ill suited for the strategic airlift
mission. On a flight from California to Hawaii, the C-130 is capable of carrying only about 9,000
lbs. of cargo at a cruise speed of 0.45 Mach, requiring flight duration of 7+45. The range-payload
for the B737-800, a comparably sized turbofan transport currently in production, is also
presented, and gives an idea of the degree to which the C-130 range-performance is
compromised for the military mission (turboprop propulsion, straight wing, large cross section,
cargo handling equipment, and ramp and door).