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==Operational history== ===Military=== [[File:Lockheed KC-130F Hercules aboard USS Forrestal (CVA-59) on 30 October 1963 (higher res).jpg|thumb|A USMC KC-130F Hercules performing takeoffs and landings aboard the aircraft carrier {{USS|Forrestal|CV-59|2}} in 1963. The aircraft is now displayed at the [[National Museum of Naval Aviation]].]] The first production batch of C-130A aircraft were delivered beginning in 1956 to the [[463d Troop Carrier Wing]] at [[Ardmore Air Force Base|Ardmore AFB]], Oklahoma, and the [[314th Troop Carrier Wing]] at [[Sewart AFB]], Tennessee. Six additional squadrons were assigned to the [[322d Air Division]] in Europe and the [[315th Air Division]] in the Far East. Additional aircraft were modified for electronics intelligence work and assigned to [[Rhein-Main Air Base]], Germany while modified RC-130As were assigned to the [[Military Air Transport Service]] (MATS) photo-mapping division. The C-130A entered service with the U.S. Air Force in December 1956.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/c130/history.html |title=C-130 History |website=Lockheed Martin |date=30 April 2018 |language=en-us |access-date=25 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920160824/https://lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products/c130/history.html |archive-date=20 September 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1958, a U.S. reconnaissance C-130A-II of the [[7406th Support Squadron]] was [[1958 C-130 shootdown incident|shot down over Armenia]] by four Soviet [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17|MiG-17s]] along the Turkish-Armenian border during a routine mission.<ref name=nsapdf>{{cite web|url=http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/c130_shootdown/60528s_Last_Flight.pdf|website=nsa.gov|publisher=National Security Agency|title=60528's Last Flight|date=31 August 2009|access-date=13 April 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410093512/https://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/c130_shootdown/60528s_Last_Flight.pdf|archive-date=10 April 2016}}</ref> Australia became the first non-American [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Australian service|operator of the Hercules]] with 12 examples being delivered from late 1958. The [[Royal Canadian Air Force]] became another early user with the delivery of four B-models (Canadian designation CC-130 Mk I) in October / November 1960.<ref>{{cite web|title=Canadian Military Aircraft|url=http://www.rwrwalker.ca/RCAF_10301_10418_detailed.html|access-date=6 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191800/http://www.rwrwalker.ca/RCAF_10301_10418_detailed.html|archive-date=2 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1963, a Hercules achieved and still holds the record for the largest and heaviest aircraft to land on an [[aircraft carrier]].<ref>[http://www.defenceaviation.com/2007/06/c-130-hercules-on-aircraft-carrier.html "C-130 Hercules on an Aircraft carrier"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203110835/http://www.defenceaviation.com/2007/06/c-130-hercules-on-aircraft-carrier.html |date=3 December 2008}} ''Defence Aviation'', 2 May 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2010.</ref> During October and November that year, a USMC KC-130F (BuNo ''149798''), loaned to the U.S. Naval Air Test Center, made 29 [[touch-and-go landing]]s, 21 [[Arresting gear|unarrested]] full-stop landings and 21 unassisted take-offs on {{USS|Forrestal|CVA-59|2}} at a number of different weights. The pilot, Lieutenant (later Rear Admiral) [[James H. Flatley III]], USN, was awarded the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]] for his role in this test series. The tests were highly successful, but the aircraft was not deployed this way.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} Flatley denied that C-130 was tested for [[carrier onboard delivery]] (COD) operations, or for delivering nuclear weapons. He said that the intention was to support the [[Lockheed U-2]], also being tested on carriers.<ref name="carroll20220203">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1frJ2V8LTEs |title=Here's How a Fighter Pilot Landed a Cargo Plane on a Carrier |date=2022-02-03 |last=Carroll |first=Ward |type=video |language=en-US |via=YouTube}}</ref> The Hercules used in the test, most recently in service with Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 352 ([[VMGR-352]]) until 2005, is now part of the collection of the [[National Museum of Naval Aviation]] at [[NAS Pensacola]], Florida.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vietnam Conflict Aviation Resource Center - A Warbirds Resource Group Site |url=https://vietnam.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/c130hercules-operation.html |access-date=2025-04-04 |website=vietnam.warbirdsresourcegroup.org}}</ref> In 1964, C-130 crews from the 6315th Operations Group at [[Naha Air Base]], Okinawa commenced [[forward air control]] (FAC; "Flare") missions over the [[Ho Chi Minh Trail]] in Laos supporting USAF strike aircraft. In April 1965 the mission was expanded to [[North Vietnam]] where C-130 crews led formations of [[Martin B-57 Canberra]] bombers on night reconnaissance/strike missions against communist supply routes leading to South Vietnam. In early 1966 Project Blind Bat/Lamplighter was established at [[Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base]], Thailand. After the move to Ubon, the mission became a four-engine FAC mission with the C-130 crew searching for targets and then calling in strike aircraft. Another little-known C-130 mission flown by Naha-based crews was Operation Commando Scarf (or Operation Commando Lava), which involved the delivery of chemicals onto sections of the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos that were designed to produce mud and landslides in hopes of making the truck routes impassable.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://medium.com/war-is-boring/mud-wars-how-the-air-force-tried-to-muck-up-vietnam-a198568c72a9 | title=Mud Wars: How the Air Force Tried to Muck up Vietnam | date=19 January 2014 }}</ref> In November 1964, on the other side of the globe, C-130Es from the 464th Troop Carrier Wing but loaned to [[322d Air Division]] in France, took part in [[Operation Dragon Rouge]], one of the most dramatic missions in history in the former [[Belgian Congo]]. After communist [[Simba Rebellion|Simba rebels]] took white residents of the city of [[Kisangani|Stanleyville]] hostage, the U.S. and Belgium developed a joint rescue mission that used the C-130s to drop, air-land, and air-lift a force of Belgian paratroopers to rescue the hostages. Two missions were flown, one over Stanleyville and another over [[Paulis (Congo)|Paulis]] during Thanksgiving week.<ref>Odom, Maj. T. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100505204701/http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/resources/csi/odom/odom.asp "Dragon Operations: Hostage Rescues in the Congo, 1964–1965"]. ''Combat Studies Institute'', January 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2010.</ref> The headline-making mission resulted in the first award of the prestigious [[MacKay Trophy]] to C-130 crews.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mackay Trophy |url=https://naa.aero/awards/awards-and-trophies/mackay-trophy/ |website= National Aeronautic Association (naa.aero) |access-date=2023-09-08 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2012-12-29 |title=Belgian paratroopers in operation Dragon Rouge |url=https://special-ops.org/belgian-paratroopers-operation-dragon-rouge/ |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Spec Ops Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> In the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1965]], the No. 6 Transport Squadron of the [[Pakistan Air Force]] modified its C-130Bs for use as bombers to carry up to {{convert|20,000|lb|kg}} of bombs on pallets. These improvised bombers were used to hit Indian targets such as bridges, heavy artillery positions, tank formations, and troop concentrations, though weren't that successful .<ref>Newdick, Thomas [https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-unusual-history-of-transport-bomber-planes-2ce280fbb546 "The Unusual History of Transport Bomber Planes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722095214/https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-unusual-history-of-transport-bomber-planes-2ce280fbb546 |date=22 July 2015}} ''War Is Boring'', 2 March 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.</ref><ref>Group Captain (Retd) Sultan M Hali's [http://defencejournal.com/dec98/christian.htm "PAF's Gallant Christian Heroes Carry Quaid's Message"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303190816/http://www.defencejournal.com/dec98/christian.htm |date=3 March 2016}} ''Defence Journal'', December 1998. Retrieved 5 September 2015.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.paf.gov.pk/courage.html |title=Pakistan Air Force – Official website |access-date=29 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181019061646/http://www.paf.gov.pk/courage.html |archive-date=19 October 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[File:C-130 Kham Duc.jpg|thumb|C-130 Hercules were used in the [[Battle of Kham Duc]] in 1968, when the [[North Vietnamese Army]] forced U.S.-led forces to abandon the Kham Duc Special Forces Camp.]] In October 1968, a C-130Bs from the 463rd Tactical Airlift Wing dropped a pair of [[M-121 (bomb)|M-121]] {{convert|10,000|lb|kg}} bombs that had been developed for the massive [[Convair B-36 Peacemaker]] bomber but had never been used. The U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force resurrected the huge weapons as a means of clearing landing zones for helicopters and in early 1969 the 463rd commenced [[BLU-82|Commando Vault]] missions. Although the stated purpose of Commando Vault was to clear LZs, they were also used on enemy base camps and other targets.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hinh|first=Nguyen Duy|title=Lam Son 719|url=http://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a324683.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018203337/http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a324683.pdf|url-status=live|archive-date=October 18, 2016|page=133|publisher=U.S. Army Center of Military History|access-date=15 October 2016}}</ref> During the late 1960s, the U.S. was eager to get information on Chinese nuclear capabilities. After the failure of the [[Black Cat Squadron]] to plant operating sensor pods near the [[Lop Nur]] Nuclear Weapons Test Base using a U-2, the [[CIA]] developed a plan, named ''Heavy Tea'', to deploy two battery-powered sensor pallets near the base. To deploy the pallets, a Black Bat Squadron crew was trained in the U.S. to fly the C-130 Hercules. The crew of 12, led by Col Sun Pei Zhen, took off from [[Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base]] in an unmarked U.S. Air Force C-130E on 17 May 1969. Flying for six and a half hours at low altitude in the dark, they arrived over the target and the sensor pallets were dropped by parachute near Anxi in Gansu province. After another six and a half hours of low-altitude flight, they arrived back at Takhli. The sensors worked and uploaded data to a U.S. intelligence satellite for six months before their batteries failed. The Chinese conducted two nuclear tests, on 22 September 1969 and 29 September 1969, during the operating life of the sensor pallets. Another mission to the area was planned as Operation Golden Whip, but it was called off in 1970.<ref>Pocock, Chris. ''The Black Bats: CIA Spy Flights over China from Taiwan 1951–1969''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military History, 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-7643-3513-6}}.</ref> It is most likely that the aircraft used on this mission was either C-130E serial number 64-0506 or 64-0507 (cn 382-3990 and 382–3991). These two aircraft were delivered to [[Air America (airline)|Air America]] in 1964.<ref>Leeker, Dr Joe. [http://www.utdallas.edu/library/collections/speccoll/Leeker/c130.pdf "Air America: Lockheed C-130 Hercules"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907013404/http://www.utdallas.edu/library/collections/speccoll/Leeker/c130.pdf |date=7 September 2012}} ''The University of Texas at Dallas.'' 23 August 2010. Retrieved 29 January 2012.</ref> After being returned to the U.S. Air Force sometime between 1966 and 1970, they were assigned the serial numbers of C-130s that had been destroyed in accidents. 64-0506 is now flying as 62–1843, a C-130E that crashed in Vietnam on 20 December 1965, and 64-0507 is now flying as 63–7785, a C-130E that had crashed in Vietnam on 17 June 1966.<ref>Baugher, Joe [http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1964.html 1964 USAF Serial Numbers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308165554/http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1964.html |date=8 March 2012}} Retrieved: 29 January 2012.</ref> The A-model continued in service through the [[Vietnam War]], where the aircraft assigned to the four squadrons at [[Naha AB]], Okinawa, and one at [[Tachikawa Airfield|Tachikawa Air Base]], Japan performed yeoman's service, including operating highly classified special operations missions such as the BLIND BAT FAC/Flare mission and Fact Sheet leaflet mission over Laos and North Vietnam. The A-model was also provided to the [[Republic of Vietnam Air Force]] as part of the [[Vietnamization]] program at the end of the war, and equipped three squadrons based at [[Tan Son Nhut Air Base]]. The last operator in the world is the [[Honduran Air Force]], which is still flying one of five A model Hercules (FAH ''558'', c/n 3042) as of October 2009.{{sfn|Olausson|2010| p= 5}} As the Vietnam War wound down, the 463rd Troop Carrier/Tactical Airlift Wing B-models and A-models of the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing were transferred back to the United States where most were assigned to [[Air Force Reserve]] and [[Air National Guard]] units. [[File:DaNangairbase1965.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. Marines disembarking from C-130 transports at [[Da Nang Air Base]] on 8 March 1965.]] Another prominent role for the B model was with the [[United States Marine Corps]], where Hercules initially designated as GV-1s replaced C-119s. After Air Force C-130Ds proved the type's usefulness in [[Antarctica]], the U.S. Navy purchased several B-models equipped with skis that were designated as LC-130s. C-130B-II electronic reconnaissance aircraft were operated under the SUN VALLEY program name primarily from Yokota Air Base, Japan. All reverted to standard C-130B cargo aircraft after their replacement in the reconnaissance role by other aircraft.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}} The C-130 was also used in the 1976 [[Operation Entebbe|Entebbe raid]] in which Israeli commando forces performed a surprise operation to rescue 103 passengers of an airliner hijacked by [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] and German terrorists at [[Entebbe Airport]], Uganda. The rescue force—200 soldiers, jeeps, and a black [[Mercedes-Benz]] (intended to resemble Ugandan Dictator [[Idi Amin]]'s vehicle of state)—was flown over {{convert|2200|nmi|0|abbr=on}} almost entirely at an altitude of less than {{convert|100|ft|abbr=on}} from Israel to Entebbe by four [[Israeli Air Force]] (IAF) Hercules aircraft without mid-air refueling (on the way back, the aircraft refueled in [[Nairobi]], Kenya).{{citation needed|date=February 2014}} During the [[Falklands War]] ({{langx|es|link=no|Guerra de las Malvinas}}) of 1982, [[Argentine Air Force]] C-130s undertook dangerous re-supply night flights as blockade runners to the Argentine garrison on the [[Falkland Islands]]. They also performed daylight maritime survey flights. One was shot down by a [[801 Naval Air Squadron#Falklands War|Royal Navy]] [[Sea Harrier]] using [[AIM-9 Sidewinder]]s and cannon. The crew of seven were killed. Argentina also operated two KC-130 [[Aerial refuelling|tankers]] during the war, and these refueled both the [[Douglas A-4 Skyhawk]]s and Navy [[Dassault-Breguet Super Étendard]]s; some C-130s were modified to operate as bombers with bomb-racks under their wings.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Prial|first=Frank J.|date=9 June 1982|title=Tanker Attacked in South Atlantic |language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/09/world/tanker-attacked-in-south-atlantic.html|access-date=4 December 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The British also used RAF C-130s to support their logistical operations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/hercules-c130j |title= About the Hercules (C-130J) |website=Royal Air Force |access-date=29 May 2023 |quote="...the Hercules fleet was crucial to UK operations, a fact emphasised by the 1982 Falklands War"|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230619185804/https://www.raf.mod.uk/aircraft/hercules-c130j/|archive-date=19 June 2023}}</ref> [[File:C-130T Hercules Blue Angels.jpg|thumb|USMC C-130T ''Fat Albert'' performing a [[JATO|rocket-assisted takeoff]] (RATO)]] During the [[Gulf War]] of 1991 ([[Operation Desert Storm]]), the C-130 Hercules was used operationally by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps, along with the air forces of Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and the UK. The [[MC-130 Combat Talon]] variant also made the first attacks using the largest conventional [[bomb]]s in the world, the [[BLU-82]] "Daisy Cutter" and [[GBU-43/B]] "Massive Ordnance Air Blast" (MOAB) bomb. Daisy Cutters were used to primarily clear landing zones and to eliminate [[mine field]]s. The weight and size of the weapons make it impossible or impractical to load them on conventional [[bomber aircraft|bombers]]. The GBU-43/B MOAB is a successor to the BLU-82 and can perform the same function, as well as perform strike functions against hardened targets in a low air threat environment.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}} [[File:C-130 Hercules performs a tactical landing on a dirt strip.jpg|thumb|left|C-130 Hercules performs a tactical landing on a dirt strip, North Carolina, U.S.]] Since 1992, two successive C-130 aircraft named ''Fat Albert'' have served as the support aircraft for the U.S. Navy [[Blue Angels]] flight demonstration team. ''Fat Albert I'' was a TC-130G (''151891'') a former U.S. Navy TACAMO aircraft serving with Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron Three (VQ-3) before being transferred to the BLUES,<ref name = olausson43>Olausson, Lars, "Lockheed Hercules Production List 1954–2012", 28th ed., self-published, Såtenäs, Sweden, March 2010, p. 43.</ref> while ''Fat Albert II'' is a C-130T (''164763'').<ref>Olausson, Lars, "Lockheed Hercules Production List 1954–2012", 28th ed., self-published, Såtenäs, Sweden, March 2010, p. 120.</ref> Although ''Fat Albert'' supports a Navy squadron, it is operated by the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and its crew consists solely of USMC personnel. At some [[air show]]s featuring the team, ''Fat Albert'' takes part, performing flyovers. Until 2009, it also demonstrated its [[JATO|rocket-assisted takeoff]] (RATO) capabilities; these ended due to dwindling supplies of rockets.<ref name="FA JATO">McCullough, Amy. "Abort Launch: Air shows to do without Fat Albert's famed JATO." ''[[Marine Corps Times]],'' 9 November 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2009.</ref> The AC-130 also holds the record for the longest sustained flight by a C-130. From 22 to 24 October 1997, two AC-130U gunships flew 36 hours nonstop from [[Hurlburt Field]], Florida to [[Daegu International Airport]], [[South Korea]], being refueled seven times by KC-135 tanker aircraft. This record flight beat the previous record longest flight by over 10 hours and the two gunships took on {{convert|410000|lb|abbr=on}} of fuel. The gunship has been used in every major U.S. combat operation since Vietnam, except for [[Operation El Dorado Canyon]], the 1986 attack on Libya.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120721084800/http://www.afsoc.af.mil/library/afsocheritage/index.asp "AFSOC Heritage"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319013250/http://www2.afsoc.af.mil/library/afsocheritage/index.asp |date=19 March 2014}} ''US Air Force Special Operations Command.'' Retrieved: 31 July 2009.</ref> During the [[War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)|invasion of Afghanistan in 2001]] and the ongoing support of the [[International Security Assistance Force]] ([[Operation Enduring Freedom]]), the C-130 Hercules has been used operationally by Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, South Korea, Spain, the UK, and the United States.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}}<ref>1. Martel WC. 2001 Invasion of Afghanistan. In: ''Victory in War: Foundations of Modern Military Policy''. Cambridge University Press; 2006:223-242.[https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/victory-in-war/2001-invasion-of-afghanistan/14876434BCA659DFF427CAE17DDFD259]</ref> During the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]] ([[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]), the C-130 Hercules was used operationally by Australia, the UK, and the United States. After the initial invasion, C-130 operators as part of the [[Multinational force in Iraq]] used their C-130s to support their forces in Iraq.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vietnam Conflict Aviation Resource Center - A Warbirds Resource Group Site |url=http://vietnam.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/c130hercules-operation.html |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=vietnam.warbirdsresourcegroup.org}}</ref> Since 2004, the Pakistan Air Force has employed C-130s in the [[War in North-West Pakistan]]. Some variants had [[forward looking infrared]] (FLIR Systems Star Safire III EO/IR) sensor balls, to enable close tracking of militants.<ref>[http://tribune.com.pk/story/291762/paf-conducted-5500-bombing-runs-in-fata-since-2008/ PAF conducted 5,500 bombing runs in Fata since 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128202816/http://tribune.com.pk/story/291762/paf-conducted-5500-bombing-runs-in-fata-since-2008/ |date=28 January 2012}}, The Express Tribune, 14 November 2011</ref> In 2017, France and Germany announced that they are to build up a joint air transport squadron at [[Evreux Air Base]], France, comprising ten C-130J aircraft. Six of these will be operated by Germany. Initial operational capability is expected for 2021 while full operational capability is scheduled for 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=C-130J der Luftwaffe werden in Evreux fliegen |url=https://www.flugrevue.de/militaer/deutsch-franzoesische-lufttransportkooperation-c-130j-der-luftwaffe-werden-in-evreux-fliegen/ |language=de |work=Flug Revue |date=19 October 2017 |first=Karl |last=Schwarz}}</ref> The Argentine Air Force has five C-130H aircraft that are part of a US-funded security assistance donation. The US has been leasing the aircraft to the Argentine Air Force through the Georgia Air National Guard since June 2023.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} ===Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill=== [[File:C-130 support oil spill cleanup.jpg|thumb|A U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown-Warren Air Reserve Station, Ohio, drops oil-dispersing chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico, 9 May 2010.]] For almost two decades, the USAF [[910th Airlift Wing]]'s [[757th Airlift Squadron]] and the [[United States Coast Guard|U.S. Coast Guard]] have participated in oil spill cleanup exercises to ensure the U.S. military has a capable response in the event of a national emergency. The 757th Airlift Squadron operates the DOD's only fixed-wing Aerial Spray System which was certified by the EPA to disperse pesticides on DOD property to spread oil dispersants onto the [[Deepwater Horizon oil spill|''Deepwater Horizon'' oil spill]] in the Gulf Coast in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.internationalairresponse.com/customers.asp |title= specialized aerial service |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150705185359/http://www.internationalairresponse.com/customers.asp |archive-date= 5 July 2015 |url-status= dead |access-date= 4 July 2015 |df= dmy-all}}</ref> During the 5-week mission, the aircrews flew 92 sorties and sprayed approximately 30,000 acres with nearly 149,000 gallons of oil dispersant to break up the oil. The Deepwater Horizon mission was the first time the US used the oil dispersing capability of the 910th Airlift Wing—its only large area, fixed-wing aerial spray program—in an actual spill of national significance.<ref name= ":0">{{Cite web |url= https://www.youngstown.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/179269/air-force-reserves-910th-airlift-wing-provides-initial-response-to-deepwater-ho/ |first=Brent J. |last=Davis |title= Air Force Reserve's 910th Airlift Wing provides initial response to Deepwater Horizon spill |website= Youngstown Air Reserve Station |language= en-US |date= 24 June 2010}}</ref> The [[Air Force Reserve Command]] announced the 910th Airlift Wing has been selected as a recipient of the [[Air Force Outstanding Unit Award]] for its outstanding achievement from 28 April 2010 through 4 June 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.youngstown.afrc.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/822/Article/179218/910th-receives-outstanding-unit-award.aspx |first=Brent |last=Davis |title= 910th receives Outstanding Unit Award |website= Youngstown Air Reserve Station |language= en-US |date=6 March 2010}}</ref> === Hurricane Harvey (2017) === [[File:Illinois National Guard (36884158612).jpg|thumb|Illinois Air National Guard crews assisting with Hurricane Harvey relief load supplies aboard a C-130]] C-130s temporarily based at [[Kelly Field Annex|Kelly Field]] conducted [[mosquito control]] aerial spray applications over areas of eastern Texas devastated by [[Hurricane Harvey]]. This special mission treated more than 2.3 million acres at the direction of [[Federal Emergency Management Agency]] (FEMA) and the [[Texas Department of State Health Services]] (DSHS) to assist in recovery efforts by helping contain the significant increase in pest insects caused by large amounts of standing, stagnant water. The [[910th Airlift Wing]] operates the Department of Defense's only aerial spray capability to control pest insect populations, eliminate undesired and [[invasive vegetation]], and disperse oil spills in large bodies of water.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.youngstown.afrc.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/865/Article/178927/aerial-spray-mission.aspx|title=Aerial Spray Mission|website=Youngstown Air Reserve Station|language=en-US|access-date=21 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108230359/http://www.youngstown.afrc.af.mil/AboutUs/FactSheets/Display/tabid/865/Article/178927/aerial-spray-mission.aspx|archive-date=8 November 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The aerial spray flight also is now able to operate during the night with [[Night-vision device|NVGs]], which increases the flight's best case spray capacity from approximately 60 thousand acres per day to approximately 190 thousand acres per day. Spray missions are normally conducted at dusk and nighttime hours when pest insects are most active, the [[Air Force Reserve Command|U.S. Air Force Reserve]] reports.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mypmp.net/2017/09/12/hurricane-harvey-relief-air-force-provides-mosquito-aerial-spray-applications/|title=Hurricane Harvey relief: Air Force provides mosquito aerial spray applications : Pest Management Professional|date=12 September 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=21 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222041942/https://www.mypmp.net/2017/09/12/hurricane-harvey-relief-air-force-provides-mosquito-aerial-spray-applications/|archive-date=22 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> ===Aerial firefighting=== [[File:C-130E MAFFS dropping fire retardant Simi Fire Southern California DF-SD-05-14857.jpg|thumb|A C-130E fitted with a [[MAFFS]]-1 dropping fire retardant.]] {{Globalize section|date=November 2023|US}} In the early 1970s, Congress authorized the [[Modular Airborne FireFighting System|Modular Airborne Firefighting System]] (MAFFS), a joint operation between the [[U.S. Forest Service]] and the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]]. MAFFS is roll-on/roll-off device that allows C-130s to be temporarily converted into a 3,000-gallon [[airtanker]] for fighting [[wildfire]]s when demand exceeds the supply of privately contracted and publicly available airtankers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fs.fed.us/managing-land/fire/planes/maffs |title=Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) |website=U.S. Forest Service |date=14 July 2017 |access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref> In the late 1980s, 22 retired USAF C-130As were removed from storage and transferred to the U.S. Forest Service, which then [[U.S. Forest Service airtanker scandal|transferred them to six private companies]] to be converted into airtankers. One of [[2002 airtanker crashes|these C-130s crashed]] in June 2002 while operating near [[Walker, California]]. The crash was attributed to wing separation caused by fatigue stress cracking and contributed to the grounding of the entire large aircraft fleet.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/employment/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20020621X00954&ntsbno=LAX02GA201&akey=1|title=NTSB Identification: LAX02GA201|last=Anonymous|first=Anonymous|website=National Transportation Safety Board|access-date=1 November 2019}}</ref> After an extensive review, [[United States Forest Service|US Forest Service]] and the [[Bureau of Land Management]] declined to renew the leases on nine C-130A over concerns about the age of the aircraft, which had been in service since the 1950s, and their ability to handle the forces generated by aerial firefighting.{{citation needed|date=February 2014}} More recently, an updated Retardant Aerial Delivery System known as RADS XL was developed by [[Coulson Aviation]] USA. That system consists of a C-130H/Q retrofitted with an in-floor discharge system, combined with a removable 3,500- or 4,000-gallon water tank. The combined system is FAA certified.<ref>{{cite web|title=C-130H/Q Fire Fighting Air Tanker|url=http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/aero/documents/global-sustainment/product-support/2013-hoc-presentations/2013-HOC-Tuesday/Tues%201145%20Coulson%20Aviation.pdf|access-date=9 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415073023/http://www.lockheedmartin.com/content/dam/lockheed/data/aero/documents/global-sustainment/product-support/2013-hoc-presentations/2013-HOC-Tuesday/Tues%201145%20Coulson%20Aviation.pdf|archive-date=15 April 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On [[2020 Coulson Aviation Lockheed C-130 Hercules crash|23 January 2020]], Coulson's Tanker 134, an EC-130Q registered N134CG, crashed during aerial firefighting operations in [[New South Wales]], Australia, killing all three crew members. The aircraft had taken off out of [[RAAF Base Richmond]] and was supporting firefighting operations during Australia's [[2019–20 Australian bushfire season|2019–20 fire season]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-01-23 |title=Three Americans killed as C-130 firefighting plane crashes in Australia |url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-01-22/australian-crews-search-for-firefight-plane-feared-crashed |access-date=2024-05-27 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>
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