Lockheed L-100 Hercules

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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 ordered 12 of Lockheed's GL-207 Super Hercules to be delivered by 1962, to be powered by four 6,000 eshp Allison T56 turboprops. [5] Slick Airways was to receive 6 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 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. [7]

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. [8] 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. [9] [10] A fifth and final LM-100J, N91BU, was delivered to Pallas Aviation in August 2023. In early June of 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.” [11]

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. [12]
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. [13] [14]

Operators

Civilian operators

In March 2011, a total of 36 Lockheed L-100 Hercules aircraft were in commercial service. Operators include Lynden Air Cargo (10), Transafrik (5), Libyan Arab Air Cargo (3), and other operators with fewer aircraft. [15]

Past operators include Delta Air Lines, which owned 3 for their cargo division in the 1960s. [16]

Military operators

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

Other users with fewer aircraft. [17]

Specifications (L-100-30)

Lockheed C-130H Hercules Line Drawing.svg

Data from International Directory of Civil Aircraft, [2] Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft [19]

General characteristics

Performance

Accidents and incidents

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

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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. ↑ "Lockheed launches civil version of C-130J military transport plane". Reuters. February 3, 2014.
  8. ↑ John Hemmerdinger (October 12, 2018). "Lockheed lands low-profile launch customer for LM-130J". FlightGlobal .
  9. ↑ @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.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ "Robust demand should safeguard C-130J production through 2030s, Lockheed says".
  12. ↑ "Lockheed-Martin to Update Civilian Version of the Hercules". AV Web. February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Code One Magazine" . Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  14. ↑ "L400 half Hercules". C-130 Hercules.net – The internet's No. 1 C-130 resource. April 15, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  15. ↑ "World Airliner Census". Flight International, 18–24 August 2009.
  16. ↑ https://www.deltamuseum.org/delta-history/aircraft-by-type/turbo-prop/lockheed-l-100
  17. ↑ "World Military Aircraft Inventory". 2009 Aerospace Source Book. Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 2009.
  18. ↑ US notifies Congress of potential Libyan C-130J sale – FlightGlobal, 11 June 2013
  19. ↑ Donald, David, ed. "Lockheed C-130 Hercules". The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Barnes & Nobel Books, 1997. ISBN   0-7607-0592-5.
  20. ↑ Report of the crash of L-382G N-517SJ, at Travis AFB, California (PDF), NTSB
  21. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-100-20 Hercules N521SJ Wau Airport (WUU)". Aviation safety.
  22. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules PK-PLV Hong Kong-Kai Tak International Airport (HKG)", Aviation safety
  23. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-100-20 Hercules 4593 Barangay Bukana, San Pedro Extension, Davao City". Aviation safety.
  24. ↑ Olausson, Lars, "Lockheed Hercules Production List – 1954–2005", 22nd ed., self-published, page 104.
  25. ↑ "Accident Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules , Wednesday 23 June 2021".
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