40th Anniversary of the Hercules C130K in Royal Air Force Service 1967 -2007
Wiltshire's skies have become iconic with the C130 Hercules based at RAF Lyneham, flying day to day routines, twenty-four hours a day in all weather conditions. The work horse of the RAF is actually in it prime today, serving all the four corners of the world in some of the most hazardous locations of the world.

The giant air transporter is renown for being the first in and last out to all the major conflicts around the globe. First into Kuwait, first into Iraq, first into Kabul, First into Afghanistan, first into Port Stanley are only a few of the recent places the four turbo-prop aircraft visits. The C130 Hercules needs no introduction as it has an illustrious history and serves Lyneham proud as the 'Queen of the Skies'

A lot has happened since the first C130 arrived at RAF Lyneham on 1st August 1967 with No 36 Squadron. Its versatility has been demonstrated decade after decade by the range of tasks placed upon the aircraft and crews. As we mark the 40th Anniversary, the aircraft is actually being put to use more so with its prime purpose spearheading the armed forces into conflict theatres, supporting Special Forces and delivering humanitarian aid, all at short notice.

Times have changed since August 1967, aircrew, maintenance engineers, and the array of support personnel may have moved on, decimalisation, new governments, but the ageing aircraft has not. All those serviceman, servicewomen and civilians who have proudly served on the Hercules, either at RAF Lyneham or other places around the world, will have the memories of the busy times with Fat Albert permanently etched on their minds. These memories are fond ones too, but unfortunately there are a few sad tones too, these highly committed aircraft are placed into unprecedented levels of work in dangerous operations all the time and we have witness the very sad times in the village too, especially when Hilton 22 - XV179 was shot down on a low level sortie over Iraq 30th January 2005. The community was stunned by the tragic loss of 10 servicemen, eight from Lyneham, who paid the ultimate price serving for their Queen and Country.

The RAF purchased 67 Hercules C-130K aircraft, first replacing the ageing and limited range Beverley aircraft and later to assume the work of the Argosy.  The first aircraft was delivered on 15 April 1967, to commence operational conversion unit training; the initial instructor nucleus was trained in the USA.  In the early days, the C-130Ks were based at 4 RAF stations and operated by 5 squadrons and the Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), these were: Changi - No 48 Squadron; Fairford - Nos 30 and 47 Squadrons; Lyneham Nos 24 and 36 Squadrons and Thorney Island - No 242 OCU. 

Following the withdrawal of the Hercules from the Far East, No LXX (70) Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri operated the Hercules alongside its Argosy aircraft before being returned to RAF Lyneham and being equipped with all Hercules aircraft.  The only other unit to operate the Hercules was No 1312 Flight, formed specifically for South Atlantic operations and now resident at RAF Mount Pleasant, in the Falkland Islands.

CHANGI, SINGAPORE  In 1967, No 48 Squadron built up to a strength of 12 Hercules aircraft, at RAF Changi in Singapore.  The aircraft, tasked by the Far East Air Force (FEAF), performed Scheduled Flights to Hong Kong and Gan/Karachi and frequent training flights were made to the North and South Pacific, East Africa, Australia/New Zealand, Thailand and East/West About.  During its time in the Far East theatre, the Hercules was involved in contingency operations to quell civil unrest in Mauritius, flood relief in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and Malaysia.  No 48 Squadron reduced to 8 aircraft in 1970, before returning to RAF Lyneham in mid-1971 where it continued to operate route and transport support flights until its disbandment.

AKROTIRI, CYPRUS  No 70 Squadron, RAF Akrotiri received Hercules to enable them to reach the Gulf area more efficiently than with the Argosies that operated alongside.  The C-130s were tasked by the Near East Air Force on regular flights to Bahrain, Masirah, Muscat and Salalah.  The Squadron was very much involved in the contingency to evacuate British Nationals from Cyprus when Turkey invaded the Island in 1974.  Shortly afterwards, No 70 Squadron relocated at Lyneham and discarded its Argosies; it has the distinction of being the last squadron to operate the Hercules from an overseas base.

FAIRFORD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE  RAF Fairford had a brief association with the Hercules from 1967 until its hand over to the United States Air Force (USAF) a few years later.  Aircraft from RAF Fairford, operated by Nos 30 and 47 Squadron, were tasked on world-wide Air Transport Operations in an identical way to those at RAF Lyneham.  At this time, all RAF stations in the UK were tasked by MOD through Headquarters No 38 Group, with full command of the assets belonging initially to Air Support Command.  Both Fairford Squadrons moved to RAF Lyneham, where they have remained for the past 27 years or so.

THORNEY ISLAND, HAMPSHIRE    The first Hercules was delivered to RAF Thorney Island on 7 April 1967 by one of the RAF crews trained in the USA.  Initially, the Hercules shared the use of RAF Thorney Island with the Argosy, and later the Andover training aircraft.  Many of the earlier Hercules crew members will fondly remember their training at Thorney Island, an idyllic base with its own yachting marina.  Noise was a particular problem in the local area and night flying was always completed overseas; first at El Adem, then Luqa, later Akrotiri and on occasions Machrihanish.  Trainers to the Far East eventually gave way to the North Atlantic, as the emphasis in RAF Air Transport shifted theatres.  In 1975, the Hercules OCU moved to RAF Lyneham, where it has remained since, albeit its number has changed in recent years.

LYNEHAM, WILTSHIRE  Although in the early days of the RAF Hercules, aircraft were based at Akrotiri, Changi, Fairford, and Thorney Island, it is only RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire that has retained its connection (since August 1967) and in doing so has become aptly named in RAF circles as the 'Home of the Hercules'.  The motto on the Station Badge of RAF Lyneham, 'SUPPORT, SAVE, SUPPLY', aptly describes the function of the Station and the squadrons that are based there.  The 4 squadrons and Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), are established with 55 Hercules aircraft and the station is the home for about 10,000 people (including dependents of Service personnel) living and working, on its 2,500 acre site.  The Hercules does indeed support, save and supply, and he has been doing so very successfully for the RAF over the past 30 years.    Lyneham's 4 squadrons of Hercules, Nos 24, 30, 47 and LXX (70) Squadrons have long been in situ.  Since the defence cuts of 1975, the entire RAF Hercules fleet has been based at Lyneham although their tasks have taken them all over the world.  Lyneham's Hercules have been involved in the following operations, amongst others:

1967 withdrawal of troops and equipment from Aden in November 1967, very shortly after we received the C130 at Lyneham. "It was a very well organised, and if I remember rightly, one aircraft inbound and outbound from Bahrain every 30 minutes. The final flight back to Lyneham was not without incident. I was in the lead aircraft on the return, overhead Thorney Island, when air traffic kindly informed us that the whole of the UK was fogbound and we were to divert - to Malta. Quite a long flog after a stressful operation." Tony Ridler

1974 Airlift of Service families and tourists from Cyprus following the Turkish invasion.
1975 Operation Cadnam, reinforcement of Belize.
1976 Earthquake relief, Managua, Nicaragua.
1979 Famine relief, Cambodia.
1982 Operation Corporate, recapture of Falkland Islands.
1984 Famine relief, Ethiopia.
1990 Operation Granby, Gulf War.
1992 Sarajevo relief flights.
1992/3 Somalia famine relief.
1995/6 Deployment of UK forces for NATO peacekeeping in Bosnia.
2001 Afghanistan operations
2003 Operation Gulf War 2
2004 Ivory Coast rescue
2005 Pakistan Earthquake aid

In the early days, the regular Scheduled Flights for the UK based Hercules involved a colossal amount of flying to the Far East; the 'Changi Slip', as it was widely known, staged through Akrotiri, Bahrain and Gan to Singapore.  Loads destined for Hong Kong and other exotic locations were unmoved by No 48 Squadron.  As the RAF's role was directed more towards Europe and NATO, Scheduled Flights reduced in distance and the key locations of Cyprus, Germany and Gibraltar received regular support. 

Transport Support became a major item in the early 70s and massive formations of Hercules under the Joint Air Transport Force (JATFOR) launched to the skies.  RAF Lyneham Transport Support squadrons still before major drops involving up to 16 aircraft; however, the mounting of such missions is a little more serene than in the intensive and perhaps mildly dangerous days of JATFOR.  The versatility of the aircraft does not mean that the squadrons at Lyneham are employed in a 'Jack-of All Trades' role.  Nos 24 and 30 Squadrons, whose Dakotas played a prominent part in the Berlin Airlift, transport service personnel and freight world-wide in the Strategic Air Transport role.  Both squadrons, performed with distinction in the Falkland Islands campaign. 

No 47 Squadron flew its new Hastings aircraft in the Berlin Airlift, and was heavily committed to the Task Force re-supply operations mounted from Ascension Island during the Falklands campaign.  It can be used to deploy British forces anywhere they are needed at short notice and, while militarily it provides a close support function it is also a humanitarian resource in supplying famine relief and aid to disaster areas.  No LXX Squadron also received South Atlantic Battle Honours and has distinguished itself in famine relief, particularly in Ethiopia.  Like No 47 Squadron, No LXX Squadron specializes in the Tactical Support role - air-dropping of paratroops and supplies.

Whether a squadron is tasked to provide Transition to War, Out of Area Operations (outside the NATO area) or Special Forces Support, its crews are trained in these specific roles.  Training and refresher courses are provided through the Hercules Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), badged as No 57(R) Squadron which, unsurprisingly, is the largest such unit in the RAF.  The OCU provides initial training for about 30 crews a year, and refresher courses (at intervals of between six months and two years) for 90 crews each year. 

If a major operation dictates cessation of training, the OCU crews and the aircraft allocated to them fully support the Stations mission, in this way, the OCU instructors retain first hand operational experience.  There are 3 full-mission advanced flight simulators at Lyneham, staffed with qualified and experienced Hercules pilots, air engineers and air electronics operators.  The simulators have data bases that cover the world, allowing simulated approaches to be made to most civil and military airfields.  Simulator memory banks contain all the navigational data for route flying, while a wide range of malfunctions can be keyed-in to test the individual's ability to cope with problems.

ENGINEERING  Unlike squadrons in the 40's and 50's, today's air transport squadron does not have its own ground engineering servicing.  All the aircraft are available to all the crews, subject to serviceability and the type of task or mission to be flown.  This organisation of resources clearly makes it all the harder to establish and maintain a squadron identity and spirit, but it does help to ensure that expensive and complicated aeroplanes are operated according to Standard Operating Procedures, and that the people flying them and the engineers that service them are appropriately trained. 

The system ensures that there is maximum flexibility and efficiency in the use of limited resources - even if individualism is sacrificed in the process.  Results speak for themselves, of course, and the safety records and achievements of Lyneham's Hercules squadrons are magnificent by any standards. 

The Engineering Wing (now Forward Support Wing) at RAF Lyneham which has an establishment of some 1,250 personnel, provides first and second line servicing for all of the Station's Hercules.  Up until the early years of the 21st Century 'A' and 'B' Line Servicing Squadrons split the maintenance task, while the Aircraft Engineering Squadron carries out the next level of deeper maintenance together with servicing the mechanical components.  Marshall Aerospace of Cambridge are contracted to undertake the major servicing and have done so since the introduction of the Hercules into RAF service.  Nowadays the Engineering tasks are similarly carried out by two servicing sections the older C130K are maintained by 47/70 Engineering squadron and the newer C130J are kept in tip top condition by 24/30 Engineering Squadrons. Second line maintenance is now carried out at Cambridge by Marshall Aerospace as the reduction and restructure of working practices meant Aircraft Engineering Squadron closed and the manpower was distributed among the RAF.

Without doubt, Engineering Wing, with 4 decades of knowledge and experience of Hercules behind them, know a great deal about keeping the Hercules fit to fly.  Undeniably too, as he has advanced in years, the aircraft have needed more attention.  In December 1993, the Ministry of Defence issued a requirement for a Hercules replacement.  A year later the intention was announced to purchase 25 Hercules CMK4/5 (C-130J) aircraft from Lockheed and 40-plus of the projected Future Large Aircraft (FLA) A400M from the Airbus consortium. This aircraft is earmarked to be enter service at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

AIRCRAFT STATISTICS AND VARIATIONS  The aircraft can carry loads of more than 18 tons - 6 times as much as the old Dakota, while the freight bay hold almost 6,000 cu ft of freight, 88 paratroopers or even a Puma helicopter.  The initial paint schemes for the RAF Hercules was dark brown and sand camouflage with shiny black underside and gloss white over the cockpit - 'Air Support Command ' or 'Far East Air Force ' appeared on sides in white, according to theatre of origin.  The white over cockpit was discontinued in the early 70s; the brown/sand paint was applied in matt finish and 'Royal Air Force' was painted on the sides.  Green/Grey with 'Royal Air Force' and airframe numbers in black became the fashion as the Hercules became firmly embedded in NATO and the European theatre; a Special Forces paint scheme was devised with wrap around camouflage.  For the 90s, Air Defence Grey became the widely adopted paint scheme for the RAF and the Hercules was no exception.  Variants of the original C Mk 1 (normal) Hercules were the C Mk 3 (stretched) and the Mk 1K (Tanker - 1982 -1996).

The RAF Hercules has proven so vital to the United Kingdom's military mobility and has been so crucial to humanitarian relief work.  In November 1999, the first of the new Hercules C130J's arrived at RAF Lyneham. No 24 Squadron was equipped with the new six bladed engine twelve months later and then No 30 Squadron received the aircraft in April 2002. Appearance wise the aircraft are virtually identical, but newer engines, propellers and state-of-the-art electronic 'glass' flight desk, mark the major differences. The new engines coupled with the six blade propeller combine to give the C130J better performance over its ageing partner. From the outset the C130 twins work alongside each other with the newer aircraft and crews being now capable to fulfil all the tasks placed upon them.

In March 2003 a J model flew a low-level night task into a theatre zone in total darkness and aided by night-vision goggles. The mission mounted from Ali Al Salem, was to take a reconnaissance team beyond the advancing front lines to Talil, in Iraq demonstrating that the C130J could now operate in the most inhospitable environments.

The whole focus of global politics has shifted towards Afghanistan and Iraq with the emergence of the terrorist network of Al Qaeda and the Hercules was at the forefront of the British operations to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 9/11 atrocity. Operating initially out of Thumrait in Oman, the Hercules was at the cutting edge of the activities. Special Air Service troops were parachuted from high level to try and find suitable landing strips for resupply missions. None were found, so the Hercules had to land at the more established strips of Bagram only a short distance from the capital Kabul. Almost the entire Hercules fleet was mobilised and carrying out round the clock resupply tasks with logistical bases at Cyprus, Germany and Bahrain allowing the aircraft to flow virtually non-stop from the UK into theatre.

Today, this pattern of continual worldwide resupply support makes all the personnel involved with the Hercules fleet even more stretched to a level that the task is at peak levels, but maintainable.

The demanding tasks always placed on Lyneham, proves without doubt that they are the workhorse of the Royal Air Force, First in - Last Out.