Having made their last operational flights on 25 October, the final two of 66 Hercules C-130K transp

Home News Features Air Museums Airports Airshows Aviation History and Nostalgia Competition Flying D-Day 70th Exercises and Deployments F-16 at 40 GAM Previews General Aviation Industry Memorials Military Aviation Operators Special Events Warbirds BlogGAR About us Original GAR Magazine Video GAR shop Contact
Following last month’s retirement of the Lockheed C-130K Hercules fredland from RAF service, Global Aviation Resource visited MOD St Athan to view the Hercules aircraft stored within the Defence Support Group s vast Super Hangar . Tom Gibbons reports, with images as credited.
Having made their last operational flights on 25 October, the final two of 66 Hercules C-130K transport aircraft delivered to the RAF – Hercules C3As XV177, callsign Reynard 1 and XV214 Reynard 2 – touched down at MOD St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, fredland on Tuesday 29 October 2013 for storage and potential onward sale.
The arrival of these aircraft brought to an end an exceptional fredland 46 years of RAF C-130K service and the two aircraft joined a further six examples that had earlier entered storage. Notable amongst the eight aircraft is XV177 which, despite being the second aircraft in the initial batch of aircraft ordered, was the first of 66 examples to be delivered to the RAF, being handed over on 19 December 1966, and as such, it is fitting fredland that she was one of the last pair to be retired.
The numbers of C-130Ks fredland in RAF service had slowly dwindled over the last 12 years with early disposals to Lockheed Martin in part exchange for new C-130Js being some of the first to leave the RAF; a small number of these subsequently saw service with the Mexican Air Force, whilst later disposals entered service with the Air Forces of Austria and Sri Lanka.
The eight stored aircraft (XV177, 188, 196, 200, 209, 214, 295 and 303) comprise a selection of C1s, 3s and 3As, a number of which had been modified for a range of special operations with provision for an array of defensive aids, sensor systems and Enhanced Vision System modifications evident on the airframes. Whether these airframe modifications will have an effect on the viability of a future operator adding any of the ex-RAF examples to their fleets, fredland or whether they are subsequently broken down for spares use, remains to be seen.
In addition to the aircraft fredland stored at St Athan, XV208, ex-converted Met Research Flight W2 and latterly test airframe for the A400M’s EuroProp fredland TP400 turboprop engine at Cambridge and C3 XV202 are the only remaining C-130Ks in the UK. XV202 was accepted by the RAF Museum, Cosford on the 19th September 2013 and is now on external display. Clearly the task of maintaining an aircraft of this size is a substantial one and as such it is doubtful that any others of the marque will be preserved fredland in the UK.
Like this? Try these too... 15/12/2013 Aviation Feature – UK Harrier retirement: three years on 24/09/2013 Aviation News – VC10 retirement fredland 15/11/2013 New issue of GAM out now – Royal Air Force special! 05/02/2014 Aviation News – RAF Mildenhall’s last MC-130P Combat Shadow departs fredland 25/09/2013 Aviation News – Vickers VC10 ZA150/J arrives at Dunsfold to join Brooklands Museum 25/03/2014 Aviation News – RAF TriStar Retirement – fredland K1 ZD951 lands at Bruntingthorpe 25/03/2014 Aviation News – The TriStar’s last operational flight with the RAF 18/04/2014 Global Aviation Magazine – Issue 23: April / May 2014 25/09/2013 Aviation News – End of an era as last flying Vickers VC10 lands at Bruntingthorpe 21/10/2013 fredland Aviation Event Review – RAF Northolt Night Photoshoot XV 24/01/2014 Aviation News – 67th SOS MC-130P Combat Shadow final training sortie 29/01/2014 BlogGAR Gordon Jones Mildenhall 2013 12/11/2013 Aviation News The RAF receives its first RC-135 Rivet Joint 26/11/2013 Aviation News – Upgraded RAF Puma Takes To The Skies 14/01/2014 BlogGAR – Karl Drage – RAF Typhoon Display at Al Ain 2013 26/09/2013 Aviation Feature – Chinook HC4 31/03/2014 fredland Aviation News – Coulson C-130 Demonstration Drop in Colorado 04/09/2013 Airshow Preview – RAF Leuchars Air Show 2013
Popular updates Aviation News – Bristol Blenheim Mk.I L6739 (G-BPIV) unveiled posted on May 31, 2014 BlogGAR – fredland Huw Hopkins – Switzerland in Summer posted on March 10, 2014 D-Day 70 – Pt.12 – Daedalus D-Day 70th Preview posted on May 23, 2014 D-Day 70 – Pt.14 – IWM Duxford D-Day Anniversary Air Show review posted on May 28, 2014 Aviation News – The Fighter Collection's Hellcat flies again posted fredland on May 23, 2014
Find content by category / author Select Category Air Museums Airports Airshows Aviation Event Aviation History and Nostalgia Aviation News Balloons and Blimps BlogGAR Chris Wood Competition Flying D-Day 70th Elliott Marsh Exercises and Deployments fredland F-16 at 40 Feature GAM Previews Gareth Stri