Editing Lockheed C-130 Hercules (section)

===Improved versions===
[[File:C-130E Hercules dropping flares.jpg|thumb|A [[Michigan Air National Guard]] C-130E dispatches its flares during a low-level training mission]]
[[File:One U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft taxis as another takes off from Yeo Ju airstrip during the joint U.S.-South Korean Exercise Team Spirit '84 DF-ST-84-11567.jpg|thumb|Two C-130 Hercules in South Korea, 1984]]
[[File:A C-130 Hercules from the 36th Airlift Squadron conducts a night flight mission over Yokota Air Base (26385249024).jpg|thumb|A C-130 conducts a night flight mission over [[Yokota Air Base]]]]

The C-130B model was developed to complement the A-models that had previously been delivered, and incorporated new features, particularly increased fuel capacity in the form of auxiliary tanks built into the center wing section and an AC electrical system. Four-bladed [[Hamilton Standard]] propellers replaced the Aero Products' three-blade propellers that distinguished the earlier A-models. The C-130B had [[aileron]]s operated by hydraulic pressure that was increased from {{convert|2050|to|3000|psi|MPa|abbr=on|lk=on}}, as well as uprated engines and four-blade propellers that were standard until the J-model.

The B model was originally intended to have "blown controls", a system that blows high-pressure air over the control surfaces to improve their effectiveness during slow flight. It was tested on an NC-130B prototype aircraft with a pair of T-56 turbines providing high-pressure air through a duct system to the control surfaces and flaps during landing. This greatly reduced landing speed to just 63 knots and cut landing distance in half. The system never entered service because it did not improve takeoff performance by the same margin, making the landing performance pointless if the aircraft could not also take off from where it had landed.<ref>Memoirs of an aeronautical engineer: flight testing at Ames Research Center. Seth B. Anderson, United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. History Office, Ames Research Center. p. 29</ref>

An electronic reconnaissance variant of the C-130B was designated C-130B-II. A total of 13 aircraft were converted. The C-130B-II was distinguished by its false external wing fuel tanks, which were disguised signals intelligence (SIGINT) receiver antennas. These pods were slightly larger than the standard wing tanks found on other C-130Bs. Most aircraft featured a swept blade antenna on the upper fuselage, as well as extra wire antennas between the vertical fin and upper fuselage not found on other C-130s. Radio call numbers on the tail of these aircraft were regularly changed to confuse observers and disguise their true mission.

The extended-range ''C-130E'' model entered service in 1962 after it was developed as an interim long-range transport for the Military Air Transport Service. Essentially a B-model, the new designation was the result of the installation of {{convert|1,360|USgal|L|abbr=off|lk=in}} ''Sargent Fletcher'' external fuel tanks under each wing's midsection and more powerful [[Allison Engine Company|Allison]] T56-A-7A turboprops. The hydraulic boost pressure to the [[aileron]]s was reduced back to {{convert|2050|psi|MPa|abbr=on}} as a consequence of the external tanks' weight in the middle of the wingspan. The E model also featured structural improvements, [[avionics]] upgrades, and a higher gross weight. Australia took delivery of 12 C130E Hercules during 1966–67 to supplement the 12 C-130A models already in service with the RAAF. Sweden and Spain fly the TP-84T version of the C-130E fitted for aerial refueling capability.

The ''KC-130'' [[Tanker (aircraft)|tankers]], originally ''C-130F'' procured for the [[United States Marine Corps|US Marine Corps]] (USMC) in 1958 (under the designation ''GV-1'') are equipped with a removable {{convert|3,600|USgal|L}} [[stainless steel]] [[fuel tank]] carried inside the cargo compartment. The two wing-mounted hose and drogue aerial refueling pods each transfer up to {{convert|300|USgal/min|L/min}} to two aircraft simultaneously, allowing for rapid cycle times of multiple-receiver aircraft formations, (a typical tanker formation of four aircraft in less than 30 minutes). The [[United States Navy|US Navy]]'s ''C-130G'' has increased structural strength allowing higher gross weight operation.