posted on Oct, 27 2013 @ 06:18 AM
www.flightglobal.com...
Hot on the heels of the withdrawal of the VC-10, another veteran of the 1960's was retired from the RAF this week when the final C-130K operations
were flown.
The C-130K entered service in 1966 and was an anglicised version of the Hercules, originally intended to be fitted with Rolls Royce Tyne engines in
place of its usual Allison's. It was acquired to augment and replace the AW Argosy following the cancellation of the four-Pegasus powered AW 681
V/STOL transport project.
It has largely been supplanted in recent years by the newer C-130J which remains in service and will be joined by the (A400M) Atlas C.1 from next
year.
The reason for the apparently high model letter on the C-130K, which was based on the C-130E, is simply that the K designator was used for anglicised
versions of US aircraft at that time, as with the Royal Navy's F-4K Phantom and the RAF's abandoned F-111K Merlin.
www.flightglobal.com...edit on 27-10-2013 by waynos because: (no reason given)