Above: HC-130P
serial 65-0988
of the 106th
ARRG at Nellis
AFB, Nevada,
photographed
on December 8,- This was the
fi rst production
HC-130P and it
is now on static
display at Moody
AFB. Brian C.
Rogers
Below: HC-130H
serial 65-0982
of the 1550th
Aircrew Training
and Test Wing
(ATTW) at Hill
AFB, Utah,
photographed
on February
23, 1975. This is
now a ground
instructional
airframe at Volk
Field, Wisconsin.
Brian C. Rogers
HC-130Hs were eventually upgraded to
HC-130P con guration.
The USAF began receiving 15 HC-130Ns
from March 1970. Although the HC-130Ns
were equipped to conduct aerial refueling,
they lacked the HC-130P’s internal
auxiliary fuel tanks and Fulton system. In
1988, the rst two of an eventual total of
six late-model HC-130Ns were produced
under the designation HC-130H(N).
Although the aircraft were purchased
for the Alaska Air National Guard (ANG),
two were subsequently transferred to
the New York ANG and the remainder
later reassigned to the Air Force Reserve
Command’s (AFRC’s) 920th Wing when the
Alaska unit received new HC-130Js. Both
of the New York unit’s HC-130Ns were
retired to Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, in
November 2018.
Military Airlift Command (MAC) assumed
responsibility for special mission-assigned
AC/MC-130s from March 1, 1983, but the
controlling 23rd Air Force was elevated toreceiving two 1,800-gallon (6,813-liter)
internal auxiliary fuel tanks and a pair
of underwing Helicopter Air Refueling
(HAR) pods mounted outboard of the
auxiliary fuel tanks. Installation of the
HAR pods followed feasibility tests
conducted between a US Marine Corps
KC-130F and a modi ed Sikorsky CH-3E
in December 1965. Delivered to the 48th
ARRS at Eglin AFB, Florida, on November
18, 1966, the modi ed HC-130H carried
out the rst air-to-air refueling with a
Sikorsky HH-3E on December 14, 1966.
Lockheed delivered 19 additional
aircraft in this con guration under the
designation HC-130P. Ultimately, 63
HC-130H/Ps were handed over with ve
being converted to EC-130H Compass
Call con guration, and one modi ed
as a DC-130H to launch and control
drones. Additionally, beginning in 1972,
15 HC-130Hs were modi ed for weather
reconnaissance missions and assigned
the designation WC-130H. All survivingCORONA
PROGRAM
Between 1966 and 1986 the Air
Force Systems Command’s 6593rd
Test Squadron (Special) and the
6594th Test Group operated six
modi ed HC-130Hs from Hickam AFB,
Hawaii. Assigned the designation
NHC-130H, the aircraft supported
the government’s classi ed Corona
program, which involved the aerial
recovery of payload capsules from the
Corona and subsequent spy satellites.
To support the mission, the aircraft
were equipped with aerial recovery
equipment developed by the All-
American Engineering Company.
Five of the NHC-130Hs were later
converted to HC-130P con guration
and then to MC-130P standard.http://www.combataircraft.net // August 2019 71
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