L-100 Hercules
A Saudia L-100-30 during RIAT 2011
Role Transport aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer Lockheed
Lockheed Martin (LM-100J)
First flight April 20, 1964 (L-100)
May 25, 2017 (LM-100J)[1]
Introduction September 30, 1965
Status In limited service for cargo transport (L-100)
Flight testing (LM-100J)
Primary users Indonesian Air Force
Safair
Lynden Air Cargo
Transafrik International
Produced 1964–92, 2018– (LM-100J planned)
Number built 114
Developed from Lockheed C-130 Hercules
Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules

The Lockheed L-100 Hercules is the civilian variant of the prolific C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft made by the Lockheed Corporation. Its first flight occurred in 1964. Longer L-100-20 and L-100-30 versions were developed. L-100 production ended in 1992 with 114 aircraft delivered.[2][3] An updated variant of the model, LM-100J, has completed its first flight in Marietta, Georgia on 25 May 2017, and was set to start production in 2018–19.[4]

Development

In 1959, Pan American World Airways ordered 12 of Lockheed's GL-207 Super Hercules to be delivered by 1962, to be powered by four 6,000 eshp Allison T56 turboprops.[5] Slick Airways was to receive 6 such aircraft later in 1962. The Super Hercules was to be 23 ft 4 in (7.11 m) longer than the C-130B; a variant powered by 6,445 eshp Rolls-Royce Tynes and a jet-powered variant with four Pratt & Whitney JT3D-11 turbofans were also under development. Both Pan American and Slick Airways (which had ordered six) canceled their orders and the other variants did not evolve past design studies.

Lockheed decided to produce a commercial variant based on a de-militarised version of the C-130E Hercules. The prototype L-100 (registered N1130E) first flew on April 20, 1964, when it carried out a 25-hour, 1 minute flight, the longest first flight of a commercial aircraft at the time.[6] The type certificate was awarded on 16 February 1965. Twenty-one production aircraft were then built with the first delivery to Continental Air Services on September 30, 1965.

A Tepper Aviation L-100-30 taking off from Mojave Spaceport, California
A Safair Lockheed L-100-30

Slow sales led to the development of two new, longer versions, the L-100-20 and L-100-30, both of which were larger and more economical than the original model. Deliveries totaled 114 aircraft, with production ending in 1992. Several L-100-20 aircraft were operated on scheduled freight flights by Delta Air Lines between 1968 and 1973.

An updated civilian version of the Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Super Hercules was under development, but the program was placed on hold indefinitely in 2000 to focus on military development and production.[2][3] On February 3, 2014, Lockheed Martin formally relaunched the LM-100J program, saying it expects to sell 75 aircraft. Lockheed sees the new LM-100J as an ideal replacement for the existing civil L-100 fleets.[7]

The launch operator for the LM-100J was Pallas Aviation: from 2019 they would operate two aircraft from Fort Worth Alliance Airport in the United States.[8] By early March 2022 the three LM-100J aircraft (tail numbers N96MG, N71KM and N67AU) then owned by Pallas had begun flying numerous flights, numbering at least 439 by December 1, 2023 between Ramstein AB and secondary military air facilities at Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą (EPNM), Poland; Boboc (LRBO), Romania; Sliač (LZSL), Slovakia; Lielvārde (EVGA), Latvia and Aalborg (EKYT), Denmark.[9][10]

Variants

A Lockheed L-100-20 of Delta Air Lines operating a freight flight from Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, Georgia
An SFAir L-100

Civilian variants are equivalent to the C-130E model without pylon tanks or military equipment.

L-100 (Model 382)
One prototype powered by four Allison 501-D22s and first flown in 1964
L-100 (Model 382B)
Production variant
L-100-20 (Model 382E and Model 382F)
Stretched variant certified in 1968 with a new 5 ft (1.5 m) section forward of the wing and 3 ft 4 in (1.02 m) section aft of the wing.
L-100-30 (Model 382G)
A further stretched variant with an additional 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) fuselage section.
LM-100J (Model 382J)
An updated civilian version of the military C-130J-30 model.[11]
L-400 Twin Hercules
A twin-engine variant of the C-130. It was advertised in at least one publication that it would have "more than 90% parts commonality" with the standard C-130. The aircraft was shelved in the mid-1980s without any being built.[12][13]

Operators

Civilian operators

In March 2011, a total of 36 Lockheed L-100 Hercules aircraft were in commercial service. Operators include Lynden Air Cargo (10), Transafrik (5), Libyan Arab Air Cargo (3), and other operators with fewer aircraft.[14]

Military operators

In May 2011, 35 Lockheed L-100s were in use with military operators, including:

Other users with fewer aircraft.[15]

Specifications (L-100-30)

Data from International Directory of Civil Aircraft,[2] Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft[17]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 3–4: (two pilots, navigator, flight engineer/loadmaster)
  • Capacity: 51,050 lb (23,150 kg)
  • Length: 112 ft 9 in (34.35 m)
  • Wingspan: 132 ft 7 in (40.4 m)
  • Height: 38 ft 3 in (11.66 m)
  • Wing area: 1,745 sq ft (162.1 m2)
  • Empty weight: 77,740 lb (35,260 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 155,000 lb (70,300 kg)
  • Powerplant: 4 × Allison 501-D22A turboprops, 4,510 shp (3,360 kW) each

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 308 kn (354 mph, 570 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
  • Cruise speed: 292 kn (336 mph, 541 km/h)
  • Range: 1,334 nmi (1,535 mi, 2,470 km)
  • Ferry range: 4,826 nmi (5,554 mi, 8,938 km)
  • Service ceiling: 23,000 ft (7,000 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1,830 ft/min (9.3 m/s)

Accidents and incidents

  • On 8 April 1987: a Southern Air Transport L-100-30 (registration N-517SJ) crashed due to loss of power in two engines, during an attempted go-around at Travis Air Force Base, California. All 5 people on board died.[18]
  • On 2 September 1991: a Southern Air Transport L-100-20 (registration N521SJ) was written off after hitting a mine while on takeoff from Wau Airport. The 5 occupants survived with injuries.[19]
  • On 23 September 1994: a Heavylift Cargo Service[lower-alpha 1] L-100-30 (registration PK-PLV), leased from Indonesia-based Pelita Air Service, crashed off Kai Tak International Airport in Hong Kong after the number four propeller oversped, killing six of the 12 on board.[20]
  • On 25 August 2008: a Philippine Air Force L-100-20 (serial number 4593) of 220th Airlift Wing based in Mactan, Cebu, crashed into the sea shortly after take-off in Davao City. The aircraft lost contact after taking off from Francisco Bangoy International Airport shortly before midnight. Nine crew members and two passengers were on board when the aircraft crashed.[21]
  • On 20 May 2009: an Indonesian Air Force L-100-30 (serial number A-1325) of 31st Squadron crashed into homes and erupted in flames, killing at least 98 people. The wreckage of the Hercules was scattered in a rice paddy near Magetan, East Java, about 160 kilometres east of Yogyakarta. The plane was carrying more than 100 passengers and crew on route from Jakarta to the eastern province of Papua via Magetan.[22]

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Now defunct UK company, not to be confused with the current Australian company
Bibliography
  1. ↑ Lockheed Martin’s LM-100J commercial freighter makes successful first flight, Lockheed Martin, May 25, 2017
  2. 1 2 3 Frawley, Gerald. The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003/2004. Fishwick, Act: Aerospace Publications, 2003. ISBN 1-875671-58-7.
  3. 1 2 Lockheed L-100 Hercules. Airliners.net
  4. ↑ Grady, Mary (May 30, 2017). "First Flight For Lockheed Freighter". AVweb. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  5. ↑ René J. Francillon: Lockheed Aircraft since 1913. Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1987, ISBN 0-85177-805-4, p. 372.
  6. ↑ "Service news" (PDF). Lockheed martin. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Lockheed launches civil version of C-130J military transport plane". Reuters. February 3, 2014.
  8. ↑ John Hemmerdinger (October 12, 2018). "Lockheed lands low-profile launch customer for LM-130J". FlightGlobal.
  9. ↑ @Osinttechnical (April 2, 2022). "In March, N67AU and N71KM, run by Pallas Aviation made 39 trips between Ramstein Air Base in Germany and Nowe Miasto Nad Pilica Airport in Poland. https://t.co/HDGiqfLhl5 https://t.co/LCHAqwOzCt" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022 – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ Gerjon | חריון | غريون | ኼርዮን [@Gerjon_] (July 26, 2022). "They are the following two aircraft, both hidden on @flightradar24: 🇺🇸N71KM #A97AA1 🇺🇸N67AU #A8D972 *I counted these by hand so there might be a slight difference between my numbers and reality" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022 – via Twitter.
  11. ↑ "Lockheed-Martin to Update Civilian Version of the Hercules". AV Web. February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Code One Magazine". Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  13. ↑ "L400 half Hercules". C-130 Hercules.net – The internet's No. 1 C-130 resource. April 15, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  14. ↑ "World Airliner Census". Flight International, 18–24 August 2009.
  15. ↑ "World Military Aircraft Inventory". 2009 Aerospace Source Book. Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 2009.
  16. ↑ US notifies Congress of potential Libyan C-130J sale – FlightGlobal, 11 June 2013
  17. ↑ Donald, David, ed. "Lockheed C-130 Hercules". The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Barnes & Nobel Books, 1997. ISBN 0-7607-0592-5.
  18. ↑ Report of the crash of L-382G N-517SJ, at Travis AFB, California (PDF), NTSB
  19. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-100-20 Hercules N521SJ Wau Airport (WUU)". Aviation safety.
  20. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules PK-PLV Hong Kong-Kai Tak International Airport (HKG)", Aviation safety
  21. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-100-20 Hercules 4593 Barangay Bukana, San Pedro Extension, Davao City". Aviation safety.
  22. ↑ Olausson, Lars, "Lockheed Hercules Production List – 1954–2005", 22nd ed., self-published, page 104.
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