The Lockheed C-130 "Hercules" is celebrating its 20th anniversary with the Austrian Armed Forces, because on March 2003, XNUMX the first of three units was taken over. These are used aircraft purchased from the Royal Air Force.

After a general overhaul, they were put into operation in Austria in 2003 and 2004. Since the introduction of the C-130 in Austria, around 17.000 flight hours have been successfully completed. The C-130 attracted particular media interest during the Covid pandemic. She flew 13 missions as part of evacuations abroad and brought a total of 15 patients back to Austria.

"You can rely on them in any situation and thanks to our own air transport system, we are able to bring Austrian citizens or soldiers home safely from crisis areas. The C-130 'Hercules' is also indispensable in supplying our contingents abroad. Without this air transport capacity, it would not be possible to independently supply distant areas of operation, such as in Mali or Lebanon," said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP).

The transport system C-130 "Hercules" is now approaching the end of its service life and will be decommissioned in the next few years after a total operating time of more than 55 years. Secretary of Defense Tanner has already announced that she will take all measures to ensure a smooth takeover by a successor system and that she will quickly make a decision on the successor. The Lockheed C-130 "Hercules" from the US manufacturer Lockheed Corporation is a military transport aircraft with four turboprop engines and is an aircraft for primarily military transport. Loading is via a rear door. The "Hercules" is primarily used to transport personnel and supplies, especially in the context of foreign deployments of the Federal Army. However, it is also available if necessary for the evacuation of civilians from crisis areas.

The aircraft is almost 30 meters long, has a wingspan of 40 meters and a total output of 4.508 shaft horsepower. It can transport a maximum payload of 19 tons or a maximum of 92 passengers. The Austrian C-130 "Hercules" entered service in 1967 and 1968.