C-130 Hercules (Ukrainian: "Hercules") is an American transport aircraft developed by Lockheed in the early 1950s. As of 2015, more than 2,500 aircraft of more than 60 modifications were produced. The C-130 Hercules is the main tactical military transport aircraft in the Air Forces of many countries. In civil aviation, it has also become the most common medium-duty transport aircraft — the C-130 "Hercules" is operated in 65 countries. The crew of the aircraft in the basic modification (C-130A) is four people, the flight range with the maximum load is 5.2 thousand kilometers. The plane is equipped with four turboprop engines. Hercules C-130A can carry 92 passengers and more than 20 tons of cargo. The flight range with a load of 9 tons is more than 7.5 thousand kilometers. "Hercules" is the main element of the American concept of mobile air strike forces. The plane is used for large-scale transfer of troops and equipment, was actively used in various military conflicts. In particular, during the conflict between Great Britain and Argentina in 1982, the C-130 in the refueling version was used by both opposing sides. Unlike its closest analogues — An-12 and Transall C-160, "Hercules" continues to be built in series and has a steady demand on the world market. C-130 aircraft are actively used in numerous humanitarian aid operations. Thus, in 1993, "Hercules" delivered food and medicine to the inhabitants of Muslim villages in Bosnia, for the supply of humanitarian aid, they were also used during the military operation in Iraq.
