Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLockheed Martin's Herculean Efforts to Profit From Defense Spending The Epic Story of the C-130
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/03/10-6When I was a kid obsessed with military aircraft, I loved Chicago's O'Hare airport. If I was lucky and scored a window seat, I might get to see a line of C-130 Hercules transport planes parked on the tarmac in front of the 928th Airlift Wing's hangars. For a precious moment on takeoff or landing, I would have a chance to stare at those giant gray beasts with their snub noses and huge propellers until they passed from sight.
What I didn't know then was why the Air Force Reserve, as well as the Air National Guard, had squadrons of these big planes eternally parked at O'Hare and many other airports and air stations around the country. Its a tale made to order for this time of sequestration that makes a mockery of all the hyperbole about how any spending cuts will "hollow out" our forces and "devastate" our national security.
Consider this a parable to help us see past the alarmist talking points issued by defense contractor lobbyists, the public relations teams they hire, and the think tanks they fund. It may help us see just how effective defense contractors are in growing their businesses, whatever the mood of the moment.
Meet the Herk
The C-130 Hercules is a mid-sized transport airplane designed to airlift people or cargo around a theater of operations. It dates back to the Korean War, when the Air Force decided that it needed a next generation ("NextGen" transport plane. In 1951, it asked for designs, and Lockheed won the competition. The first C-130s were delivered three years after the war ended.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
4 replies, 1131 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (2)
ReplyReply to this post
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Lockheed Martin's Herculean Efforts to Profit From Defense Spending The Epic Story of the C-130 (Original Post)
xchrom
Mar 2013
OP
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)1. Have some more
HubertHeaver
(2,522 posts)4. Looks like Davis-Monthan
Tierra_y_Libertad
(50,414 posts)2. I flew from Taiwan to Japan in one of those.
Probably the most comfortable rides in a plane I ever had. Bedded down on a stack of seabags and slept the whole way. And, it sure as hell beat the LST we went to Taiwan on.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)3. Unlike so many other procurements, at least the C-130 works. And will continue to be useable for a
long, long time. Maybe, into the 22nd Century.
And we built a whole shitload of them. Enough to sell to almost every country in the world other than North Korea.
This is not a good example of pork or useless or unusable junk. The F-35 JSF is. The Litoral warship is. The V-22 Osprey is. There are others. By comparison, the Hercules is an example of how the Pentagon procurement system is supposed to work. It's just a really good plane, but we probably don't need to pay to buy any more for a while.