Yes, and back up. Apparently they have the ability to reverse the propellers on one side for reverse thrust and not the other. They have the ability to land and takeoff on really short strips. They also have a JATO rocket assist they can be equipped with to shorten their take off distance even further. They are pretty much the main air workhorse of the military. I think they once thought the C17 would take over a large part of that role except for small, tactical, unimproved strip operations. But the C17 just plain requires a good runway and that didn’t turn out to exist in most areas of Iraqi and Afghanistan and it was the old Hercules that has remained the mainstay of a large portion of airlift operations. They are also in wide use by most western allies. Little Rock is the main training center for the C130 and anyone who flies one anywhere in the world, trains at Little Rock AFB. The new J models have a lengthened fuselage, more powerful engines, more load capacity, more speed, more range, and modern control systems and avionics. They can be identified by the 6- blade props.
They have (or had) a small tactical assault practice strip at LRAFB for pilots to practice their short takeoffs and short landing executions. They would put on demonstrations at Air Shows and it was pretty amazing how quickly they can land and stop, and how short a takeoff rollout they could make.
They have (or had) a small tactical assault practice strip at LRAFB for pilots to practice their short takeoffs and short landing executions. They would put on demonstrations at Air Shows and it was pretty amazing how quickly they can land and stop, and how short a takeoff rollout they could make.
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