Lockheed L-100 Hercules

Last updated

L-100 Hercules
Lockheed L100-30 Hercules HZ-128 (6819452647).jpg
A Saudia L-100-30 during RIAT 2011
General information
Type Transport aircraft
National originUnited States
Manufacturer Lockheed
Lockheed Martin (LM-100J)
StatusIn limited service for cargo transport (L-100)
Flight testing (LM-100J)
Primary users Indonesian Air Force
Number built114
History
Manufactured1964–92, 2018– (LM-100J planned)
Introduction dateSeptember 30, 1965
First flightApril 20, 1964 (L-100)
May 25, 2017 (LM-100J) [1]
Developed from Lockheed C-130 Hercules
Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules

The Lockheed L-100 Hercules is the civilian variant of the prolific C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft made by the Lockheed Corporation. Its first flight occurred in 1964. Longer L-100-20 and L-100-30 versions were developed. L-100 production ended in 1992 with 114 aircraft delivered. [2] [3] An updated variant of the model, LM-100J, completed its first flight in Marietta, Georgia on 25 May 2017, and started production in 2019. [4] L-100 and LM-100J aircraft can be distinguished from the C-130 and C-130J military versions by the absence of side and forward windows underneath the main windshield.

Contents

Development

In 1959, Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) ordered twelve of Lockheed's GL-207 Super Hercules to be delivered by 1962, to be powered by four 6,000 eshp Allison T56 turboprops; however, Pan Am never took delivery of these aircraft. [5] Slick Airways was to receive six such aircraft later in 1962. The Super Hercules was to be 23 ft 4 in (7.11 m) longer than the C-130B; a variant powered by 6,445 eshp Rolls-Royce Tynes and a jet-powered variant with four Pratt & Whitney JT3D-11 turbofans were also under development.

The prototype L-100 (registered N1130E) first flew on April 20, 1964, when it carried out a 25-hour, 1 minute flight, the longest first flight of a commercial aircraft at the time. [6] The type certificate was awarded on 16 February 1965. Twenty-one production aircraft were then built with the first delivery to Continental Air Services, Inc (CASI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Continental Airlines, [7] on September 30, 1965.

A Tepper Aviation L-100-30 taking off from Mojave Spaceport, California Tepper-l382-N3867X-061120-03cr-10.jpg
A Tepper Aviation L-100-30 taking off from Mojave Spaceport, California
A Safair Lockheed L-100-30 Safair L100-30 ZS-JIY (8484684415).jpg
A Safair Lockheed L-100-30

Deliveries totaled 114 aircraft, with production ending in 1992. Several L-100-20 aircraft were operated on scheduled freight flights by Delta Air Lines between 1968 and 1973.

An updated civilian version of the Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules was under development, but the program was placed on hold indefinitely in 2000 to focus on military development and production. [2] [3] On February 3, 2014, Lockheed Martin formally relaunched the LM-100J program, saying it expects to sell 75 aircraft. Lockheed sees the new LM-100J as an ideal replacement for the existing civil L-100 fleets. [8]

The launch operator for the LM-100J was Pallas Aviation: from 2019 they would operate two aircraft from Fort Worth Alliance Airport in the United States. [9] By early March 2022 the four LM-100J aircraft (tail numbers N96MG, N71KM, N67AU and N139RB) then owned by Pallas had begun flying numerous flights, numbering at least 522 by May 16, 2024 between Ramstein AB and secondary military air facilities at Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą (EPNM), Poland; Boboc (LRBO), Romania; Sliač (LZSL), Slovakia; Lielvārde (EVGA), Latvia and Aalborg (EKYT), Denmark. [10] [11] A fifth and final LM-100J, N91BU, was delivered to Pallas Aviation in August 2023. In early June 2024, Larry Gallogly, Lockheed's director, customer requirements for air mobility and maritime missions said, “We have not seen robust demand for the commercial variant of the [LM-100]J, so we haven't had follow-on customers.” [12]

Variants

A Lockheed L-100-20 of Delta Air Lines operating a freight flight from Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, Georgia Lockheed L382 N9259R Delta ATL 15.04.72 edited-3.jpg
A Lockheed L-100-20 of Delta Air Lines operating a freight flight from Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, Georgia
An SFAir L-100 Hercules-f-gdaq.jpg
An SFAir L-100

Civilian variants are equivalent to the C-130E model without pylon tanks, side and front windows under the main winshield or military equipment.

L-100 (Model 382)
One prototype powered by four Allison 501-D22s and first flown in 1964
L-100 (Model 382B)
Production variant
L-100-20 (Model 382E and Model 382F)
Stretched variant certified in 1968 with a new 5 ft (1.5 m) section forward of the wing and 3 ft 4 in (1.02 m) section aft of the wing.
L-100-30 (Model 382G)
A further stretched variant with an additional 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) fuselage section.
L-100M-30 (Model 382G)
A Military Conversion of L-100 With Stretched 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) fuselage section.
LM-100J (Model 382J)
An updated civilian version of the military C-130J-30 model. [13]
L-400 Twin Hercules
A twin-engine variant of the C-130. It was advertised in at least one publication that it would have "more than 90% parts commonality" with the standard C-130. The aircraft was shelved in the mid-1980s without any being built. [14] [15]

Operators

Civilian operators

In March 2011, a total of 36 Lockheed L-100 Hercules aircraft were in commercial service. Operators at that time included Lynden Air Cargo (10), Transafrik (5), Libyan Arab Air Cargo (3), and other operators with fewer aircraft. [16]

Past civilian operators

Past operators include Delta Air Lines, which owned three L-100 aircraft that were assigned to their cargo division during the late 1960s and early 1970s. [17] [18] [19] [20] The April 27, 1969 Delta system timetable listed scheduled L-100 cargo flights with service to Atlanta (ATL), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (served via Love Field, DAL), Los Angeles (LAX), Memphis (MEM), Miami (MIA), New Orleans (MSY), New York City (served via Newark Airport, EWR), Orlando, FL (MCO) and San Francisco (SFO). [21]

A number of other air carriers based in the U.S. and Canada also operated L-100 aircraft on cargo services in the past including Alaska Airlines [22] [23] , Alaska International Air (AIA) [24] , Continental Air Services, Inc [25] , First Air [26] , Interior Airways [27] , MarkAir [28] , Northwest Territorial Airways (NWT Air) [29] , Pacific Western Airlines [30] , Saturn Airways [31] , Southern Air Transport [32] and Transamerica Airlines [33]

A passenger version of the L-100 configured with 97 coach seats was operated by Merpati Nusantara, an airline operating scheduled services that was based in Indonesia. [34] This version of the L-100 was modified with passenger windows. [35] [36]

Military operators

In May 2011, 35 Lockheed L-100s were in use with military operators, including:

Other users with fewer aircraft. [37]

Specifications (L-100-30)

Lockheed C-130H Hercules Line Drawing.svg

Data from International Directory of Civil Aircraft, [2] Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft [39]

General characteristics

Performance

Accidents and incidents

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed C-130 Hercules</span> American military transport aircraft

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport aircraft. The versatile airframe has found uses in other roles, including as a gunship (AC-130), for airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol, and aerial firefighting. It is now the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. More than 40 variants of the Hercules, including civilian versions marketed as the Lockheed L-100, operate in more than 60 nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed EC-130</span> 1975 electronic warfare aircraft series by Lockheed

The Lockheed Martin EC-130 series comprises several slightly different versions of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules that have been and continue to be operated by the U.S. Air Force and, until the 1990s, the U.S. Navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed L-188 Electra</span> American turboprop airliner by Lockheed, built 1957–1961

The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the United States. With its fairly high power-to-weight ratio, huge propellers and very short wings, large Fowler flaps which significantly increased effective wing area when extended, and four-engined design, the airplane had airfield performance capabilities unmatched by many jet transport aircraft even today—particularly on short runways and high altitude airfields. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes that led to expensive modifications to fix a design defect, no more were ordered. Jet airliners soon supplanted turboprops for many purposes, and many Electras were modified as freighters. Some Electras are still being used in various roles into the 21st century. The airframe was also used as the basis for the Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas DC-6</span> US airliner with 4 piston engines, 1946

The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, Douglas reworked it after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range commercial transport market. Douglas built over 700, and many still fly in cargo, military, and wildfire control roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed HC-130</span> Search and rescue aircraft version of the C-130 Hercules

The Lockheed HC-130 is an extended-range, search and rescue (SAR)/combat search and rescue (CSAR) version of the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, with two different versions operated by two separate services in the U.S. armed forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolls-Royce AE 2100</span> Turboprop aircraft engine family

The Rolls-Royce AE 2100 is a turboprop developed by Allison Engine Company, now part of Rolls-Royce North America. The engine was originally known as the GMA 2100, when Allison was a division of former corporate parent General Motors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antonov An-12</span> Soviet medium-range transport aircraft

The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10 and has many variants. For more than three decades the An-12 was the standard medium-range cargo and paratroop transport aircraft of the Soviet air forces. A total of 1,248 aircraft were built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturn Airways</span> US charter airline 1948–1976 bought by Trans International

Saturn Airways was a US supplemental air carrier, certificated as such by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), the now-defunct Federal agency that, at the time, tightly regulated almost all US air transport. Saturn operated from 1948 until 1976. Originally a Florida company, Saturn moved to Oakland, California in 1967 where its headquarters were located on the grounds of Oakland International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safair</span> South African airline

Safair is an airline based at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Kempton Park, South Africa. It operates one of the world's largest fleets of civil Lockheed L-100 Hercules cargo aircraft.

PT Pelita Air Service, trading as Pelita Air, is a domestic airline based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Its main operating base is Soekarno–Hatta International Airport, and it is headquartered at Pondok Cabe Airport. Pelita Air is listed in category 1 by Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority for airline safety quality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 40 Squadron RNZAF</span> Military unit

No. 40 Squadron RNZAF is a transport squadron in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). Established in June 1943, it remains on active duty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaanxi Y-8</span> Chinese medium military transport aircraft

The Shaanxi Y-8 or Yunshuji-8 aircraft is a medium size medium range transport aircraft produced by Shaanxi Aircraft Corporation in China, based on the Soviet Antonov An-12. It has become one of China's most popular military and civilian transport/cargo aircraft, with many variants produced and exported. Although the An-12 is no longer made in Ukraine, the Chinese Y-8 continues to be upgraded and produced. An estimated 169 Y-8 aircraft had been built by 2010.

MarkAir was a regional airline based in Anchorage, Alaska, that became a national air carrier operating passenger jet service in the United States with a hub and corporate headquarters located in Denver, Colorado. After a second bankruptcy in 1995, it ceased operations in October and was later liquidated.

Kampuchea Airlines was an airline based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, operating regional passenger services out of Phnom Penh International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules</span> Military transport aircraft

The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems.

Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos is a cargo airline which operates civil cargo flights between Bolivia and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed C-121 Constellation</span> Military transport version of Constellation

The Lockheed C-121 Constellation is a military transport version of the Lockheed Constellation. A total of 332 aircraft were constructed for both the United States Air Force and United States Navy for various purposes. Numerous airborne early warning versions were also constructed. The C-121 later saw service with smaller civilian operators until 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed Martin KC-130</span> Aerial refueling tanker based on Lockheed Martin C-130

The Lockheed MartinKC-130 is a family of the extended-range tanker version of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The KC-130J is the latest variant operated by the United States Marine Corps (USMC), with 48 delivered out of 79 ordered. It replaced older KC-130F, KC-130R, and KC-130T variants for aerial refueling. USMC reserve unit, VMGR-452 operated 12 KC-130T aircraft until May 2021; this was the last USMC reserve unit that operated the legacy KC-130s, completing the Corps' transition to the more advanced Super Hercules.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Australian service</span>

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has operated forty-eight Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The type entered Australian service in December 1958, when No. 36 Squadron accepted the first of twelve C-130As, replacing its venerable Douglas C-47 Dakotas. The acquisition made Australia the first operator of the Hercules after the United States. In 1966 the C-130As were joined by twelve C-130Es, which equipped No. 37 Squadron. The C-130As were replaced by twelve C-130Hs in 1978, and the C-130Es by twelve C-130J Super Hercules in 1999. No. 37 Squadron became the RAAF's sole Hercules operator in 2006, when No. 36 Squadron transferred its C-130Hs before converting to Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy transports. The C-130Hs were retired in November 2012, leaving the C-130J as the only model in Australian service. A further twenty C-130Js will be ordered to replace the current fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed RC-130 Hercules</span> Military reconnaissance aircraft mainly used in the U.S. Air Force

The Lockheed RC-130 Hercules are retired variants of the C-130 Hercules, designed for photographic or electronic reconnaissance missions.

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Now defunct UK company, not to be confused with the current Australian company
Bibliography
  1. ↑ Lockheed Martin's LM-100J commercial freighter makes successful first flight, Lockheed Martin, May 25, 2017
  2. 1 2 3 Frawley, Gerald. The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003/2004. Fishwick, Act: Aerospace Publications, 2003. ISBN   1-875671-58-7.
  3. 1 2 Lockheed L-100 Hercules. Airliners.net
  4. ↑ Grady, Mary (May 30, 2017). "First Flight For Lockheed Freighter". AVweb. Retrieved May 30, 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. ↑ René J. Francillon: Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1987, ISBN   0-85177-805-4, p. 372.
  6. ↑ "Service news" (PDF). Lockheed martin. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Maverick: The Story of Robert F. Six and Continental Airlines" by Robert J. Serling, published 1974 by Doubleday & Company, page 235 (reference to Lockheed L328G cargo planes operated by Continental Air Services)
  8. ↑ "Lockheed launches civil version of C-130J military transport plane". Reuters. February 3, 2014.
  9. ↑ John Hemmerdinger (October 12, 2018). "Lockheed lands low-profile launch customer for LM-130J". FlightGlobal .
  10. ↑ @Osinttechnical (April 2, 2022). "In March, N67AU and N71KM, run by Pallas Aviation made 39 trips between Ramstein Air Base in Germany and Nowe Miasto Nad Pilica Airport in Poland. https://t.co/HDGiqfLhl5 https://t.co/LCHAqwOzCt" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022– via Twitter.
  11. ↑ Gerjon | חריון | غريون | ኼርዮን [@Gerjon_] (July 26, 2022). "They are the following two aircraft, both hidden on @flightradar24: 🇺🇸N71KM #A97AA1 🇺🇸N67AU #A8D972 *I counted these by hand so there might be a slight difference between my numbers and reality" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022– via Twitter.
  12. ↑ "Robust demand should safeguard C-130J production through 2030s, Lockheed says".
  13. ↑ "Lockheed-Martin to Update Civilian Version of the Hercules". AV Web. February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.[ permanent dead link ]
  14. ↑ "Code One Magazine" . Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  15. ↑ "L400 half Hercules". C-130 Hercules.net – The internet's No. 1 C-130 resource. April 15, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  16. ↑ "World Airliner Census". Flight International, 18–24 August 2009.
  17. ↑ https://www.airhistory.net/photo/730782/N9268R
  18. ↑ https://www.airhistory.net/photo/146327/N9259R
  19. ↑ https://www.airhistory.net/photo/358120/N9268R
  20. ↑ "Aircraft by Type".
  21. ↑ https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/dl/dl69/dl69-03.jpg (click to enlarge)
  22. ↑ https://www.airhistory.net/photo/146146/N9227R
  23. ↑ https://www.airliners.net/photo/Alaska-Airlines/Lockheed-L-100-Hercules-L-382B/121834/L
  24. ↑ https://www.airhistory.net/photo/622913/N106AK
  25. ↑ https://www.c-130.net, Photos & Patches, C-130 Photos, Civilian Hercules Photos, photo of Continental Air Services L-100
  26. ↑ https://www.airliners.net/photo/First-Air/Lockheed-L-100-30-Hercules-L-382G/5151239/L
  27. ↑ https://www.airhistory.net/photo/662473/N921NA
  28. ↑ https://www.airliners.net/photo/MarkAir/Lockheed-L-100-30-Hercules-L-382G/1476257/L
  29. ↑ https://www.airliners.net/photo/Northwest-Territorial/Lockheed-L-100-30-Hercules-L-382G/6630391/L
  30. ↑ https://www.airhistory.net/photo/642595/C-FPWN
  31. ↑ https://www.airhistory.net/photo/638486N15ST
  32. ↑ https://www.airliners.net/photo/Southern-Air-Transport/Lockheed-L-100-30-Hercules-L-382G/6258209/L
  33. ↑ https://www.airhistory.net/photo/743594/N15ST
  34. ↑ http://avgeekery.com/rare-c130-airliner-l100
  35. ↑ https://www.airliners.net/photo/Merpati-Nusantara-Airlines/Lockheed-L-100-30-P-Hercules-L-382G/2597201/L
  36. ↑ https://www.airhistory.net/photo/678918/PK-MLT
  37. ↑ "World Military Aircraft Inventory". 2009 Aerospace Source Book. Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 2009.
  38. ↑ US notifies Congress of potential Libyan C-130J sale – FlightGlobal, 11 June 2013
  39. ↑ Donald, David, ed. "Lockheed C-130 Hercules". The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Barnes & Nobel Books, 1997. ISBN   0-7607-0592-5.
  40. ↑ Report of the crash of L-382G N-517SJ, at Travis AFB, California (PDF), NTSB
  41. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-100-20 Hercules N521SJ Wau Airport (WUU)". Aviation safety.
  42. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules PK-PLV Hong Kong-Kai Tak International Airport (HKG)", Aviation safety
  43. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-100-20 Hercules 4593 Barangay Bukana, San Pedro Extension, Davao City". Aviation safety.
  44. ↑ Olausson, Lars, "Lockheed Hercules Production List – 1954–2005", 22nd ed., self-published, page 104.
  45. ↑ "Accident Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules , Wednesday 23 June 2021".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.