Oct 07
TynibelleNews aircraft model, airplane model, Boeing C-17, c-130, c-130 hercules, C-130J, C-130s, C-17, C-5, C-5 Galaxy, C-5s, c130, c130 hercules, C5, C5 Galaxy, desktop model, Galaxy, hercules, KC-10, kc-135, kc135, Lockheed Martin, mahogany model, model aircraft, model airplane, model plane, plane model, scale model, warplanes, wood plane model, wooden airplane model
Lockheed Martin is testing winglets and other drag-reducing modifications to cut the fuel consumption of C-130 Hercules and C-5 Galaxy airlifters.
With large-scale wind tunnel testing completed, Lockheed is fabricating a shipset of winglets for flight testing on a C-130 in 2012. The modification could be available for both retrofit and forward-fit by early 2014.
Computational analysis and small-scale tunnel tests have been completed on the C-5 winglets. Large-scale tunnel tests are planned for 2012, leading to flight tests in 2014 “if the customer is interested,” says Jack O’Banion, director of advanced development programs at Lockheed’s Marietta, Ga., plant.
The 5-ft.-tall winglets are projected to reduce cruise fuel flow by 170 lb./hr. on the C-130J and “probably more” on older versions of the Hercules, he says. They are designed to be fitted to any C-130 with the beefed-up “enhanced service life” center wingbox. This has the extra structural margin to accommodate winglet-induced bending loads.
Winglets for the C-5M are 6 ft. tall and projected to reduce cruise fuel flow by 1,100 lb./hr. This is on top of the 8-20% improvement in fuel efficiency that comes with re-engining of the C-5 with General Electric CF6-80C2 high-bypass turbofans, O’Banion says, adding that the wing already has sufficient margin to accommodate the winglet loads.
Lockheed Martin in August flight tested an aft-body drag-reduction modification on the C-130. This comprises a series of 36 vortex generators mounted on the aft fuselage. These “microvanes” alter the aft-body flowfield to pull the underbody vortex closer in and reduce base drag, he says.
Results are still being analyzed, but indications are the microvanes will reduce total drag by up to 3.7%, O’Banion says, for a fuel-consumption reduction of 2-3%. No significant changes in aircraft handling have been observed, he says.
The vortex generators, mounted in rows on the aft fuselage on either side of the rear loading ramp, are planned to be available by the end of 2012 for forward-fit and retrofit to the C-130J and earlier Hercules.
Another fuel-saving modification being studied for older C-130s is an upgrade to the latest Series 3.5 version of Rolls-Royce’s T56 turboprop, coupled with Hamilton Sundstrand’s NP2000 eight-blade propeller.
For the C-5, Lockheed also is working on a drag cleanup that is expected to improve fuel efficiency by 2-3%. This would include new seals on the flight controls to minimize aerodynamic leaks that cause drag; and new seals in the pressurization system to reduce bleed-air demand on the engines and thus improve their fuel efficiency.
In addition, equipment installed on the C-5s over time — such as defensive systems — would be cleaned up to reduce parasitic drag. “We are in the process of laying out a detailed program for the Air Force, including the business case and potential benefits,” O’Banion says.
The C-130 and C-5 drag reductions are part of an initiative by the U.S. Air Force to cut its fuel consumption. Other elements include drag cleanups on the Boeing C-17 and KC-10 and engine upgrades on the KC-135.
-aviationweek.com
Jul 27
Jobelle accident in Morocco, aircraft model, c-130, c-130 hercules, C-130 military aircraft, C-130 plane, Foreign Military Aircraft Models, Guelmim crash, Hercules plane, King Mohammed VI, military aircraft, model airplane, Morocco C-130 crash, plane accident, plane crash, plane crash in Morocco, USAF Models
Seventy-eight people were killed when a Moroccan C-130 military aircraft crashed into a mountain in the south of the country last Tuesday, army says.
The C-130 Hercules aircraft crashed near Guelmim, just north of the disputed Western Sahara territory. Officials have blamed the accident on poor weather. The army said three other people were severely wounded in the crash, in what is thought to be one of Morocco’s deadliest air disasters in years.
“Above all, it was the fog and bad weather conditions that are believed to be behind this accident. But for the moment, we don’t have enough information,” AFP news agency quoted an official from the interior ministry as saying.
The C-130 plane was travelling from Dakhla, in the Western Sahara, to Kinitra in northern Morocco. The aircraft was carrying 81 people: nine crew members, 60 troops and 12 civilians.The search team has found forty-two bodies so far.
King Mohammed VI has declared three days of national mourning and ordered that prayers of remembrance be held on Friday in all mosques.
Source: BBC News
Jun 14
JobelleAir Force, News approved plane sale, c-130, c-130 hercules, C-130 Hercules transport, C-130E, c-130h, C-130J, C-130J Super Hercules, c130, f-16, F-16C/D, F-16C/D fighter, F-16C/D fighter jets, First Adm. Bambang Samoedro, Hercules plane, Indonesian Air Force
The Indonesian Air Force announced on Sunday that it would add five more C-130 Hercules transports to its fleet over the next two years. Admiral Imam Sufaat, the Air Force chief of staff, said the new additions would be among the nine such aircraft to be procured over the next few years. The fleet will consist of two C-130s used as refuelling planes, two outfitted to carry VIPs and 26 to transport troops.
“Once we get the nine C-130s, the Air Force will have 30 units of this plane,” he said.
Air Force spokesman First Adm. Bambang Samoedro said the service could be getting the planes from several countries by 2014.
“The countries that have offered us the planes are the United States, Norway and Australia,” he said.
The United States offered a fleet of six C-130Es for delivery in 2012 at a special discount. The planes were initially offered to other Asian and African governments but the orders never came to fruition.
The Norwegian government also offered to sell four used C-130Hs to Indonesia at a cost of $66 million. Under the terms of the deal, the Norwegian government would recondition the planes at its own cost before selling them to Indonesia.
A third bid came from Australia, which offered a fleet of six C-130J Super Hercules for immediate delivery.
Imam said that in addition to purchasing the transports, the Air Force was also waiting for the United States to approve the sale of 24 used F-16C/D fighter jets to the Indonesian Armed Forces. The F-16s had been offered as a grant, but the deal must be approved by US lawmakers.
“We are currently in the process of looking at the whether to get them through a grant or a soft loan, because this is strongly related to the country’s budget,” he added.
Source: The Jakarta Globe
Jun 10
Jobelle 418th Flight Test Squadron, break system, c-130, C-130 brake testing, C-130 gunship, c-130 hercules, C-130J, c130, Edwards AFB, Hercules plane, Mark II Analog Antiskid, new break system, plane testing
Members of the 418th Flight Test Squadron C-130 Hercules Wheel Brake System Improvement program are testing the performance at Edwards AFB, Calif. of carbon brakes and the new Mark IV Digital Antiskid Control Unit for the aircraft to replace the C-130‘s legacy brake system.
Members of this test group said they know the lives of current and future C-130 crew members depend on them doing their job right.
“My primary objective is to make sure the carbon brakes and the Mark IV are equivalent to or better than the legacy steel brakes and the Mark II Analog Antiskid system,” said Colin Young, a 418th FLTS subsystems engineer. “If the tests are successful, then the brakes will be retrofitted to all C-130s, other than the C-130J (that already uses the new brakes).”
The testing involves max-effort braking where the pilot would apply the maximum pressure to the brakes to stop the cargo plane. Different test points include observing how the carbon brakes perform with different cargo weights and wet-runway tests to evaluate the digital antiskid system.
For testing purposes, team members drilled holes into the center stator and inserted thermal probes into the brakes to obtain real-time brake temperatures during testing. Test officials said temperatures are essential to determine how hot the brakes get during maximum effort braking and to evaluate the cooling profile of the brakes.
“The one thing you find with steel brakes is they cannot handle as much heat, and they certainly heat up a lot quicker than carbon brakes,” said 1st. Lt. Nicole Potter, a 418th FLTS flight test engineer. “The nice thing about steel brakes is they dissipate the heat quickly, and we’re finding with the carbon brakes it takes a little longer to cool, but their capacity to handle heat is a lot better.”
Along with better performance, the new carbon brakes are more durable and efficient.
“The warfighters have had a continuous problem with the wear-out of the brakes and the turnaround time to rebuild them,” said Lance Stoebling, assistant program manager.”Composite brake systems are coming out throughout the Air Force and the C-130 is next on the list.”
Source: ASD News
May 31
JobelleAir Force, News Barack Obama, c-130, C-130 cargo aircraft, c-130 hercules, c130, cargo aircraft, f-16, F-16 fighter jets, f16, fighter jets, Obama, Poland, usaf f-16 falcon
President Barack Obama announced Saturday that the United States has agreed to send F-16 fighter jets and C-130 cargo aircraft to train in Poland, a move Polish leadership welcomed as a sign of the U.S. commitment to defend Central and Eastern Europe.
In a quick first step, F-16s from the California Air National Guard will work alongside Polish F-16s this July in a training exercise as part of the preparations for the EURO 2012 soccer tournament. Other F-16s and C-130s will be rotated to Poland starting in 2013. Despite Polish media reports before Obama’s visit, the agreement does not deploy any F-16s for long periods and does not transfer any from a key NATO base at Aviano, Italy.
In addition to the sending of F-16s and C-130s to Poland, Obama and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk discussed the new missile defense plan and said U.S. and Polish military will conduct talks on deploying land-based interceptors in Poland in 2018.
Obama came to Poland from that summit, noting that as a member of NATO, Poland is entitled to the same pledge of support as any NATO nation. “We defend each other,” Obama said.
“No US F-16s are being deployed permanently in Poland,” said a White House aide on condition of anonymity. “What we are talking about is regular rotations of U.S. military aircraft to Poland for training and exercises – four per year. U.S. aircraft will come for a few weeks to Poland and then return to their home station.”
Temporary or not, the dispatch of U.S. pilots to Poland sent a message of assurance to Polish leaders who are skittish about Obama’s work to improve relations with Poland’s old nemesis, Russia.
Seeking to improve commercial and personal ties, Obama also announced that he’ll ask Congress to change a law so that Poles can visit the United States without visas. Obama also met Saturday with some of the veterans of the Solidarity movement who first challenged Soviet rule and helped usher in the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Source: The Modesto Bee
May 25
JobelleAir Force, News Blue Angels, c-130, c-130 hercules, F/A-18, F/A-18 Hornet, F/A-18 Hornet Blue Angels, F/A-18B
The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, The Blue Angels, have cancelled the practice demonstration and air show scheduled for May 24 and 25 at the United States Naval Academy (USNA).
This cancellation is due to a safety stand down period imposed by the team’s commanding officer after a lower-than-normal maneuver that took place during the team’s last performance at Lynchburg Regional Air Show, May 22 in Lynchburg, Va.
Following this low maneuver all aircraft landed safely without damage or injury to personnel.
During the training stand-down the team will remain in Pensacola for additional training and air show demonstration practice. It has yet to be determined if the Blue Angels will perform the flyover at the USNA graduation May 27, 2011.
The United States Navy’s Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, first performed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team. The squadron’s six demonstration pilots fly the F/A-18 Hornet in more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where they still employ many of the same practices and techniques used in their aerial displays in 1946.
The show narrator flies Blue Angel 7—a two-seat F/A-18B—to show sites. The Blue Angels use this jet for backup, and to give demonstration flights to civilians (usually members of the press). The #4 slot pilot often flies the #7 aircraft in Friday “practice” shows. The Blue Angels use a United States Marine Corps C-130T Hercules nicknamed “Fat Albert” for logistics, carrying spare parts, equipment, and to carry support personnel between shows.
Source: Aero-News Network, Wikipedia
Apr 27
JobelleAir Force, News 19th Airlift Wing, C-130 damage, C-130 H, c-130 hercules, C-130 Hercules aircraft, C-130 J, Little Rock Air Force Base, Tornado
Damaged C-130 Hercules aircraft sit on the flightline April 26, 2011, at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark., hours after a tornado struck at approximately 8 p.m.
A tornado struck Little Rock Air Force Base Monday, approximately 8 p.m. causing damage to three C-130s and roughly 100 houses.
Emergency crews immediately responded in the aftermath of the tornado and conducted a house-to-house recall of all personnel, according to a 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs news release. Base housing residents were also encouraged to stay indoors due to downed power lines in base housing.
When officials further assessed the damage to the base, a press release said that roughly 100 houses were damaged and on the flightline there were at least three C-130 Hercules aircraft damaged.
“There were at least half a dozen tornadoes, and it appears some of them were strong and long-lived,” the NWS Web site reported.
Little Rock Air Force Base is the home of C-130 combat airlift. The 19th Airlift Wing, the base’s host unit, in concert with the 314th Airlift Wing, 189th Airlift Wing and U.S. Air Force Mobility Weapons School is known as the world’s ‘Center of Excellence’ for tactical airlift.
Currently Little Rock AFB is home to more than 90, C-130 H, C-130 J and E models. Further investigation and work on the base is on-going, officials said.
Source: dvidshub.net, littlerock.af.mil
Mar 01
JobelleAir Force, News C-130 aircraft, c-130 hercules, C-130 shot in Libya, c130, c130 hercules, C130 plane, Hercules plane, Libya, plane in LIbya, RAF C-130, RAF Hercules
Disaster was narrowly averted when small arms fire entered the cockpit of a RAF C130 Hercules evacuating Britons and foreign nationals from Libya, it has emerged.
One round bounced off the pilot’s helmet but he was unscathed during Sunday’s rescue of oil workers. Earlier, 50 Britons and 150 foreign nationals arrived in Malta on HMS Cumberland as evacuation efforts go on. David Cameron said the UK is working to establish a no-fly zone over Libya.
The prime minister has also urged Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi to “go now”, adding that the north African country had no future “that includes him”.
The BBC’s Frank Gardner confirmed details of the narrow escape during the evacuation of oil workers – 20 of whom were British – from the desert.
He said an insurgent group on the ground which fired at the C-130 plane had mistaken it for a Gaddafi regime plane. They have since apologized for the incident.
Some of those rescued described the moment the Hercules was shot at, forcing it to abandon a landing.
The Ministry of Defence confirmed that one of its C130 aircraft appeared to have suffered “minor damage consistent with small arms fire”, adding that “there were no injuries to passengers or crew and the aircraft returned safely to Malta”.
On Saturday, another 150 oil workers, many of them British nationals, were rescued from the desert by two RAF Hercules and flown to the safety of Malta.
- BBC News
Feb 18
JobelleAir Force, News ac-130, c-130 hercules, C-130 transport, Griffin, KC-130J, MC-130, USAF AC-130 gunship
U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) has, for the first time since the Vietnam War, allowed its MC-130 gunships to operate in daytime.
For the last four decades, it was believed too dangerous for these low, slow flying, heavily armed aircraft to operate when the sun was up. The key to this change is new weapons being used by gunships. The new, small, missiles enable the slow, large, MC-130s to operate above the range of ground fire. The new SOCOM MC-130W “Dragon Spear” is also based on an idea developed by the U.S. Marine Corps, the “instant gunship.”
The first one of these arrived in Afghanistan five months ago. Four months ago, it fired one of its weapons (a Hellfire missile) for the first time (killing five Taliban). Called “Harvest Hawk,” the marine “instant gunship” system, enables weapons and sensors to be quickly rolled into a C-130 transport and hooked up. This takes a few hours, and turns the C-130 into a gunship (similar in capabilities existing AC-130 gunships). The sensor package consists of day/night vidcams with magnification capability. The weapons currently consist of ten Griffin missiles and four Hellfires. A 30mm autocannon is optional.
The 15.6 kg (34.5 pound) Griffin, recently entered service in Afghanistan, aboard UAVs. The Hellfire II, which weighs 48.2 kg (106 pounds), carries a 9 kg (20 pound) warhead and has a range of 8,000 meters. The Griffin has a 5.9 kg (13 pound) warhead which is larger, in proportion to its size, than the one carried by the larger Hellfire missile. Griffin has pop-out wings, allowing it to glide, and thus has a longer range (15 kilometers) than Hellfire. UAVs can carry more of the smaller missiles, typically two of them in place of one Hellfire. There are similar arrangements for Griffin.
Harvest Hawk enables marine KC-130J tankers to be transformed into gunships with the addition of the portable weapons and sensors. The marines had long noted the success of the U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunships that SOCOM (Special Operations Command) uses. But they couldn’t afford them, as an AC-130 costs more than three times as much as a marine KC-130J aerial refueling aircraft. But the marines developed a solution. This is something the marines often do.
The KC-130J is the latest, and largest, USMC version of the C-130 transport used for aerial refueling. But the KC-130J can also carry cargo, and weapons (bombs and missiles) hung from the wings. Thus the Harvest Hawk version of the KC-130J adds a targeting pod, with the data going to a special cargo container containing control equipment (computers, commo and displays) enabling operators use of the day/night sensors of the targeting pod, to fire missiles hung from the wings. The SOCOM version is the MC-130W.
- strategypage
Nov 05
JobelleAir Force, News c-130, c-130 hercules, C-130J Super Hercules, U.S. Air Force
Engineers with the 418th Flight Test Squadron are currently testing a C-130H3 cargo plane equipped with Hamilton Sundstrand NP 2000 propellers.The new eight-bladed composite propellers are shaped to provide additional thrust in the takeoff and low airspeed range while using the current C-130 engines.
Regular C-130 “legacy” planes use four-blade propellers. With eight blades, the NP 2000 props are designed to perform with more power and efficiency.
“A major limitation propellers have is the wave drag generated by shockwaves when the propeller tips go supersonic,” said Dustin Marschik, a 418th FTS performance and flying qualities engineer. ”Newer propeller designs aim to reduce this wave drag, which improves efficiency and performance. The NP 2000 blade design incorporates a more efficient airfoil design, which theoretically will lead to improved performance in the takeoff and climb out phases of flight.
“The eight-bladed props are much more efficiently designed and utilize modern design and manufacturing methods which aim to optimize twist and blade sweep to improve performance,” Mr. Marschik said.
Computer simulation and the composite materials that make up the blades help engineers optimize the blade angle and twists to make the propeller faster and better.
“It is designed specifically for the LC-130 mission in Antarctica,” said Maj. C.B. Cain, a C-130 flight commander. “Right now, they use these jet-assisted takeoff bottles to help them takeoff to get to about a 60-knot takeoff range. If this propeller does what it is supposed to do, then it would produce additional thrust and reduce the need for those JATO bottles, or eliminate them completely.”
Major Cain said test data still needs to be analyzed, but preliminary testing has shown that the eight-bladed NP 2000 propeller provides noticeable drag on the free-roll landing tests and the C-130H3 seems to fly smoother.
He said with less vibration, there is less wear and tear on the propeller, which can also be an added benefit.
“Instead of four similar airfoil blades pounding around up there, you have these eight highly tuned blades that make it smoother with less vibration,” Major Cain said. “From a maintainability standpoint, you can change one blade at a time. On the legacy four-blade C-130, you have to change out the whole prop.”
This flight testing is a continuation of a process to improve the capability of the Air Force’s workhorse C-130 fleet. The C-130J “Super” Hercules already employs a six-bladed composite propeller.
Once all the data is assessed, and if Air Force officials see a solid benefit of the NP 2000, certain C-130s may get a new and improved upgrade in the future.
- US Air Force
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