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C-130J Super Hercules (Promo)
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CH-149 Cormorant and a CC-130 fly by the Bluenose II

55th Anniversary of the C-130 Hercules

Wings & Wheels 2 will be celebrating the 55th anniversary of the first flight of the C-130 Hercules and as many years of solid service in so many countries and roles.

Since the first prototype flight on August 23, 1954, the Hercules has been busy. Described as the workhorse of military services around the world. It is officially designated as a tactical transport aircraft capable of short take off and landing on rough runways.

Although it is primarily meant to transport people and cargo, it is used in a wide variety of other roles, such as aerial ambulance/hospital, aerial refueling, firefighting, search and rescue(SAR) and weather observation. There are more than 40 versions of the Hercules, and it is widely used by more than 60 nations.

By December 2006 the C-130 is one of the few aircraft (including the KC-135 Stratotanker) to reach 50 years of continuous use with its original customer, and the only military aircraft to remain in continuous production for 50 years.

The first CC-130 Hercules entered Canadian service in the fall of 1960. It has been used for domestic and international support of the Canadian Forces for the various exercises and missions they perform. It has supported combat, peacekeeping, humanitarian and Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) missions in the past it continues to perform search and rescue work in Canada and adjacent maritime areas, supports the Canadian Forces Station in Alert, Nunavut and continues to support the mission in Afghanistan.

In 2010, the Canadian Forces will begin replacing the oldest of the CC-130's with the new J version as part of an order with Lockheed Martin for 17. The contractor claims that improvements in systems and materials in the new J version of the CC-130 will make it lighter, more durable, and have significantly lower maintenance requirements and operating costs when compared to older models.

With upgrades such as those found in the J version perhaps we will soon be celebrating it's diamond anniversary. Long live the Herc.

The Municipality of Central Elgin, Ontario, Canada