Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Australian service

The Hercules entered Australian service in December 1958, replacing the C-47 Dakotas. The C-111-C111 is the only General Dynamics F111-111 F-111 to have been used by the Australian air force. A total of 48 Hercules have been operated by the RAAF, with a total of 40 in service so far.

About Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Australian service in brief

The Royal Australian Air Force has operated forty-eight Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The type entered Australian service in December 1958, replacing its venerable Douglas C-47 Dakotas. The Hercules has frequently been used to deliver disaster relief in Australia and the Pacific region, as well as to support military deployments overseas. The aircraft saw extensive service during the Vietnam War, transporting troops and cargo to Southeast Asia and undertaking aeromedical evacuation. In over fifty years of Australian service, the Hercules have accumulated more than 800,000 flying hours. The RAAF’s fleet of twenty-four C- 130s took part in relief efforts in 1974–75 after Cyclone Tracy struck Darwin. They have also seen service in the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the Fijian coups in 1987, operations in Somalia in 1993, INTERFET operations in East Timor in 1999–2000, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq beginning in 2001. A total of 48 Hercules have been operated by the RAAF, with a total of 40 in service with the Air Force so far. The cost for the initial crew, initial crew support equipment was USD US36 million. The Hercules represented a huge improvement over the C- 47 in payload, speed and manoeuvrability. It gave the Australian military its first strategic airlift capability, which would provide a lifeline to Malaya, Cambodia, Bali, Sumatra, and New Zealand.

The C-111-C111 is the only General Dynamics F111-111 F-111 to have been used by the Australian air force as the second most significant acquisition by the air force after the Hercules. It has been the only F111 to come into service as the only aircraft to provide a rear door cargo capability, via its short-take-off and despatch capability, and bulk-landing capability. It is also the only one to come in as a General Dynamics General Dynamics F-111C-111F-C-C. It was the first of the F111s to be fitted with the TF56-A-11 engines, which were modified to meet Australian fuel requirements. The main difference being the use of TF56 A-11s in the place of the usual TF56A-1 and TF56.A-9s; these engines provided almost the same power, but were modified for Australian fuel needs. The F111 is now the only model in Australian service that has been fitted with a TF56 engine. No.  37 Squadron became the R RAF’s sole Hercules operator in 2006, when No. 36 Squadron transferred its C-130Hs prior to converting to Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy transports. In November 2012, the C 130J Super Hercules was retired, leaving the C/130J as theOnly model inAustralian service. A contract for twelve C-129s was signed in October 1957. The Australian C-13s were to be similar to those in service. with the U.S. Air Force.

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