C-130 Hercules

[Mike Wren]

now I know what to do with a Minicraft C-130...

[frank2056]

I like what you did with that tiny little model, excellent and exactly what I was trying to describe.  Guess we all have similar ideas for a lot of these subjects.  By the way, was that model of yours a C-5 Galaxy before it was modified?

Thanks Jeffrey,

The donor kit was an Academy 1/480 scale C-5A (a nice kit in itself). I chopped about an inch from the fuselage in front and behind the wings, sanded down the lumps and bumps and redid the nose slightly.

The engines are heavily modified resin copies I made from an Eastern Express 1/288 scale An-72. The gear is mostly scratch-built.

Here's a picture with a figure, for scale:



Frank

[RCoulterSr]

Hey Jeffry.
Why not go with something along this design but, with the C-130 and 4 A-10 engines like you said.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Hey Jeffry.
Why not go with something along this design but, with the C-130 and 4 A-10 engines like you said.

Hi Randee,

That is an odd looking design.  Your suggestion would work well if I had four engines from an S-3 in 1/48th scale to affix to a 1/72nd scale C-130.  There would be plenty of room on the wings for mounting them on top as you have suggested.  Got to go with what I have available in the parts bin which is a surplus of A-10 engines unless someone wants to send me four S-3 engines in 1/48th scale...

Actually the intention of my original suggestion was to try and come up with a ducted fan powered C-130 that would still use the original placement of the engines (cuts down on all of the cutting and putty work) so the ducted fan section would enshroud the original engine not unlike what you see in most arrangements with the larger fan jet engines such as the CFM-56 and others as an example.  The enshrouded fans would certainly make the aircraft a bit safer to operate around and perhaps reduce the noise levels substantially.  Not sure how performance would be afftected but this idea needs to see the light of day (one of these days).

[Jschmus]

Hey Jeffry.
Why not go with something along this design but, with the C-130 and 4 A-10 engines like you said.

I DO like this design. What is it? B)  B)

That's the Korchagin/Beriev Typhoon, first introduced to this forum over the summer by Wyrmshadow in his Bombers, Fighters... thread over in Profiles.  It's about halfway down the first page, and if I recall correctly, he built the CGI model out of S-3 Viking and EA-6 parts.

[jcf]

3-view of a later configuration of the C-130 HOW ( Hercules On Water)  with enlarged tail surfaces, double-slotted flaps and spoilers. Based on data from an October 1972 brochure.

Jon

[Jeffry Fontaine]

3-view of a later configuration of the C-130 HOW ( Hercules On Water)  with enlarged tail surfaces, double-slotted flaps and spoilers. Based on data from an October 1972 brochure.

Any idea why Lockheed did not attempt to incorporate a stabilizing sponson on the fuselage similar to what was used on the Boeing 314 Clipper design?  Or is this something that would have induced more drag in flight as well as on take off?

[Chris707]

Chris
----------------------------------
Old Plans & Ads
http://paperofthepast.ecrater.com

[jcf]

Hi Jeffry,
I'm not sure that the Dornier type stabilizer sponsons would work very well with the hydro-ski setup that was to be used on the C-130 HOW. Your thought about drag could also be a factor as it is possible that the combined frontal area of the aircraft would be higher with the sponson design than with the wing mounted floats. Martin had used the sponsons on their big boats yet abandoned them when designing the Mars... I'm sure they had a good reason.

Cheers, Jon

[nev]

C-130VLS:

Can you say A-400M, now i know where Airbus gets the sugar    

It's funny, the Russians claim the A400M is a copy of the An-72!  

Looks more like a Caribou to me

At the end of the day, there's only so many variations on the best way to do a tactical transport....    

[Mossie]

Not really practical but Groen Bros proposed converting Herc's into gyrodyne's:

[jcf]

Boeing Installs High-Energy Laser on Laser Gunship Aircraft

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 10, 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has installed a high-energy chemical laser aboard a C-130H aircraft, achieving a key milestone for the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program.

Boeing completed the laser installation Dec. 4 at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. The laser, including its major subsystem, a 12,000-pound integrated laser module, was moved into place aboard the aircraft and aligned with the previously-installed beam control system, which will direct the laser beam to its target.

With the laser installed, Boeing is set to conduct a series of tests leading up to a demonstration in 2008 in which the program will fire the laser in-flight at mission-representative ground targets to demonstrate the military utility of high-energy lasers. The test team will fire the laser through a rotating turret that extends through the aircraft's belly.

"The installation of the high-energy laser shows that the ATL program continues to make tremendous progress toward giving the warfighter a speed-of-light, precision engagement capability that will dramatically reduce collateral damage," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. "Next year, we will fire the laser at ground targets, demonstrating the military utility of this transformational directed energy weapon."

The program achieved two other major milestones earlier this year. "Low-power" flight tests were completed in June at Kirtland; the ATL aircraft used its flight demonstration hardware and a low-power laser to find and track moving and stationary ground targets. The flight demonstration hardware includes the beam control system; weapon system consoles, which display high-resolution imagery and enable the tracking of targets; and sensors. The low-power laser, a surrogate for the high-energy laser, hit its intended target in each of more than a dozen tests. Also, in late July, the high-energy laser concluded laboratory testing at the Davis Advanced Laser Facility at Kirtland, demonstrating reliable operations in more than 50 firings.

ATL, which Boeing is developing for the U.S. Department of Defense, will destroy, damage or disable targets with little to no collateral damage, supporting missions on the battlefield and in urban operations. Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser industry team includes L-3 Communications/Brashear, which made the laser turret, and HYTEC, Inc., which made various structural elements of the weapon system.

_____________________________________________________

So how will beam-weapons change the appearance of  war machines?

Jon

[Jeffry Fontaine]

Since I have a couple of extra 1/72nd scale Esci/AMT-Ertl C-130 kits that have been sitting around waiting for a mission, I got to thinking about modifying one by adding a section from one main wing section to another.  The original intent was to modify the wing by increasing the chord and keeping the wing span about the same as the standard C-130.  This is still an idea that I would like to see in plastic but in the interim, I also stumbled on a possible WHIF based on the C-130H-30 airframe which increased the wing span and added another pair of engines.  The quick and dirty front view will give you an idea of what I am thinking about. 

This second view is from the top and again, it was a quick cut and paste job but you get the idea of what I am seeing in my head from this a bit better.  I think it would also be a good time to increase the number of wheel sets in the main landing gear to four per side in the same tandem arrangement as the original aircraft.  This would be a simple kit bash in what ever scale you choose and it would mean cutting one fuselage to fit ahead of the main landing gear of the second.  End result would be a longer fairing to contain all of the wheels with two separate door sets for each.  Reason for the increase in wheels is to reduce the ground pressure and it would look quite different.

[kitnut617]

Since I have a couple of extra 1/72nd scale Esci/AMT-Ertl C-130 kits that have been sitting around waiting for a mission, I got to thinking about modifying one by adding a section from one main wing section to another.  The original intent was to modify the wing by increasing the chord and keeping the wing span about the same as the standard C-130.  This is still an idea that I would like to see in plastic but in the interim, I also stumbled on a possible WHIF based on the C-130H-30 airframe which increased the wing span and added another pair of engines.  The quick and dirty front view will give you an idea of what I am thinking about. 

This second view is from the top and again, it was a quick cut and paste job but you get the idea of what I am seeing in my head from this a bit better.  I think it would also be a good time to increase the number of wheel sets in the main landing gear to four per side in the same tandem arrangement as the original aircraft.  This would be a simple kit bash in what ever scale you choose and it would mean cutting one fuselage to fit ahead of the main landing gear of the second.  End result would be a longer fairing to contain all of the wheels with two separate door sets for each.  Reason for the increase in wheels is to reduce the ground pressure and it would look quite different.

You could almost give it a 'double' extension (-60 series) and extend the landing gear sponson so it could have three wheels down each side, a Super Herc'   
Or double up the sponsons so you could have two pairs of wheels at each u/c station

[Jeffry Fontaine]

You could almost give it a 'double' extension (-60 series) and extend the landing gear sponson so it could have three wheels down each side, a Super Herc' 
Or double up the sponsons so you could have two pairs of wheels at each u/c station

Here it is with the extra set of wheels.