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RAAF marks 50 years of C-130 service |
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Monday, 03 November 2008 |
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The RAAF celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of its first C-130 Hercules aircraft.
This weekend marked 50 years of service by the C-130 Hercules aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
The "work horse" Hercules has been the backbone of the Australian Defence Force's operations since 1958, when the country received 12 C-130As. In 1966, it received a further 12 C-130E models.
During its time with the RAAF, the C-130 has seen service in the Vietnam War and also provided emergency response to Cyclone Tracy, the Katherine floods, the Boxing Day tsunami and the Bali Bomings.
Air Marshal Mark Binskin, chief of the RAAF, said: "The Hercules has provided combat air lift capability, including tactical transport of troops and cargo as well as Special Forces insertion, parachuting and air drops."
He also praised the thousands of air crew, ground and support personnel and contractors who have worked to keep Australia's Hercules aircraft in the air and fully operational.
The four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft, which was originally built by Lockheed, is still in active production.
It serves a number of air forces around the world including the United States Air Force and Marine Corps, the Royal Air Force and the Canadian Air Force. |
