C-130 aircraft: PAF's workhorse in relief operations for typhoon 'Yolanda' victims

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 30): C-130 aircraft: PAF's workhorse in relief operations for typhoon 'Yolanda' victims
 
Despite having only three Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft in the arsenal of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), the planes proved their worth as the PAF's workhorse in the ongoing relief operations for victims of super typhoon "Yolanda" in Eastern Visayas, particularly Samar and Leyte.

Day and night, PAF pilots fly on rotation basis, bringing in vital food, water and medicines for the millions of typhoon survivors who lost all their possessions, including their homes when the world's deadliest typhoon to hit land in over a century battered Central Philippines on Nov. 8.

On the other hand, the UH1-H "Huey" helicopters of the Air Force are being tapped to bring the relief goods to far-flung typhoon-ravaged areas in Samar, Leyte, Capiz and as far as Palawan.

The C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin.

The versatile plane is capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings.

The C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport plane.

But the aircraft can also be converted into a gunship (AC-130), for airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol, and aerial firefighting.

The PAF is using all its three C-130 planes for airlifting of troops to various points in the country and the transport of relief goods during disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes.

It is now the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide, including the Philippines.

The C-130 is so valuable that over 40 models and variants of the Hercules are in service in more than 60 countries.

Although the C-130 entered service in the United States Air Force in the 1950s, it has remained as the workhorse in many military units the world over to date.

In fact, the Hercules family has participated in countless military, civilian and humanitarian aid operations.

The C-130 family has the longest continuous production run of any military aircraft in history.

In 2007, the C-130 became the fifth aircraft —- after the English Electric Canberra, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Tupolev Tu-95, and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, all designed with various forms of aviation gas turbine power plants -- to mark 50 years of continuous use with its original primary customer, in this case, the United States Air Force.

The C-130 is one of the military aircraft to remain in continuous production for over 50 years with its original customer, as the updated C-130J Super Hercules, according to Wikipedia.

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