Are C-130s still being build?
Are C-130s still being build?
The C-130 J model is probably still being built. It started coming on line about 15 years ago, displacing navigators (like me).
Faster, stronger, better — the C-130 is a cool machine.
But if their GPS/INS goes out, I have lost my sextant and can’t help them.
The C-130J (the latest version) is still being built.
As long as there is a country whose air force require mobility, the will be C-130s built.
Name another cargo aircraft that has landed and taken off from an aircraft carriers deck.
Has long standing and proven STOL/Bare Base capability.
Has retrieved packages from satellites in orbit with Skyhook capabilities.
Has proven itself to be a superior gunship platform for troops on the ground.
As well as an excellent candidate for Special Operations with Helicopter refueling packages. RF information/intelligence gathering and jamming capabilities.
Forward and Side Looking Radar and Infra Red.
Still has JATO racks still built into their fuselage and air deflector doors for military operations.
Has had an amphibious seaplane modification variant for more than four decades.
If there is a need. The C-130 can handle it.
The C-17? Not so much. Too big and too heavy for short field operations. Too expensive to even be considered being put in harms way.