March 2012

The entire Lockheed Martin C-130

community extends its deepest
sympathy and condolences to the
Royal Norwegian Air Force and the
families and friends of those who
were lost in the recent tragedy.

Renamed Commando II Delivered to the U.S. Air Force

The second MC-130J Combat
Shadow II (recently renamed
Commando II) has been delivered
to Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.,.
General Edward A. Rice, Jr.,
Commander, Air Education and
Training Command, accepted
delivery of aircraft 5682.

(Lockheed Martin photos by

Todd McQueen)

The C-130J is the

backbone of the
mobility fleet and a
critical component in
our Airmens ability to
fly, fight and win.
Gen. Edward A. Rice Jr.,
Commander, Air Education and
Training Command
 MC-130 J name change promotes
modern missions, preserves heritage
By Ashley M. Wright
Air Force Special Operations
Command Public Affairs

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. Officials

announced March 9 a popular name
change for the MC130-J that honors the
Air Commando legacy and capitalizes on
the versatility of the aircraft.
Air Force Special Operation
Command MC-130 Js will be equipped
to fly various missions and will be called
Commando II, said Lt. Gen. Eric Fiel,
AFSOC commander, in the memorandum
requesting the change. This name best
reflects the multimission role of the
aircraft and the units that will fly them.
Commando II flies low visibility, low-
level air refueling missions for special
operations helicopters and tilt-rotor
aircraft, and infiltration, exfiltration, and
resupply of special operations forces by
airdrop or airland intruding politically
sensitive or hostile territories, according
to the official Air Force factsheet.
The aircraft name previously was
Combat Shadow II. Alternate names
considered included Combat Knife and
Combat Arrow.
The process for requesting the popular
name change began in September of
2011, said Don Purvis, AFSOC logistics
management specialist.
The memorandum from the AFSOC
commander was sent to the asset
identification flight at Air Force Material
Command headquarters. A 522nd Special Operations Squadron MC-130J Commando II aircraft, flies over the skies New
From that point a review was Mexico., Jan. 4, 2012. The 522 SOS is stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M. and the MC-
conducted by several agencies including 130J provides in-flight refueling, infiltration/exfiltration and aerial delivery resupply of special
Air Force Judge Advocate General and operations forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman James Bell)
Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs,
Purvis said. original Commando. Commando was a workhorse in
A popular name, according to the joint According to the AFSOC commanders flying the hump (over the Himalayan
service Air Force Instruction 16-401(I), memorandum, the new name embodies Mountains), transporting desperately
characterize aerospace vehicle missions the broader linage of special operations needed supplies from bases in India and
and aid communications and media force aircraft. Burma to troops in China. A variety of
references. The C-46 was used extensively during transports had been employed in the
This is one of the first name changes the Cold War and Korean War by various effort, but only the C-46 was able to
we approved, said Keven Corbeil, government agencies, said Herb Mason, handle the adverse conditions, according
Defense Department popular name AFSOC historian. It doubled the payload to an executive staff summary sheet for
control point in the flight. I think and range of the C-47, which it replaced. the popular name change request.
Commando had historical [significance Just like its descendent, the original Commando II replaces the aging
for AFSOC.] Commando performed a variety of special operations forces fleet of 37
In addition to reflecting the current missions. MC-130E and P tankers. The first
missions of AFSOC, the name change The C-46 was most famous for aircraft arrived at Cannon Air Force
honors the legacy of the C-46, the its operations in the Far East. The Sept. 29, 2011.
March 2012 2
 Drop it

Master Sgt. Malcolm Mercado, a 40th Airlift Squadron load master, prepares to throw a wind sonde out of a C-130J Hercules at Dyess Air
Force Base, Texas, Feb. 23, 2012. The wind sonde device, part of the joint precision air drop system, is released at high altitudes over a
drop zone to measure the wind prior to an actual cargo drop. This allows C-130 aircrews to drop cargo at safe distances from enemy fire.
(U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snyder)

Ice patrol
A Coast Guard C-130, based out of
Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., and
carrying members of the International
Ice Patrol, stationed in New London,
Conn., flies past an iceberg in the waters
near Newfoundland, Canada, June 10,
1997. The mission of the International
Ice Patrol is to monitor iceberg locations
near the Grand Banks of Newfoundland
and provide updates to the maritime
community. The tragic sinking of the
passenger liner RMS Titanic in 1912
prompted the maritime nations with ships
transiting the North Atlantic to establish
an ice patrol in the area. (U.S. Coast
Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class
Brandon Brewer)

March 2012 3
 317th AG surpasses 3,000
consecutive days deployed
By Senior Airman Robert Hicks
7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --
The 317th Airlift Group has performed
combat, as well as, humanitarian
missions for more than 3,000 consecutive
days at a deployed location.
Since Dec. 20, 2003, missions
have included passenger and cargo
lift, intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance, medical air evacuation
and psychological warfare with 317th AG
dropping more than 20 million combat
leaflets.
In addition, the airlift group has
answered the call for humanitarian aid
helping hurricane victims from Katrina to
Ike and Pakistan relief.
Answering the nations call comes
with a lot of work. Our Airmen have put
in blood, sweat and tears, not only during
the 3,000 days of deployment, but here
at home station as well, said Maj. Jason
Anderson, 317th Airlift Group. This is
one of those milestones you look back
on and youre not celebrating. Its more
16th J-model arrives at Dyess
like wow, its been a lot of sacrificing and
dedication to be away from spouses and
family.
During the nine-year span, the airlift
group has deployed with three different
aircraft, C-130 E, H and J-models.
With the H-model aircraft, there
were a lot of restrictions. We had to
calculate numerous amounts of data and
weight when we flew in other countries
due to the altitude and mountains, said
Master Sgt. Matthew Rossi, 39th Airlift
Squadron loadmaster superintendent.
The J-Model increases our capabilities
with its efficiency and powerful engines.
The C-130 flys humanitarian missions
throughout the world, bringing in food,
clothing, shelter, doctors, nurses and
medical supplies and moving victims to
safety. C-130s have also served other
nations, airlifting heavy equipment into
remote areas to build airports and roads.
Its pretty rewarding being able to
deliver the supplies people need in a
humanitarian crisis or a contingency
operation, said Lt. Col. James Bruner,
40th Airlift Squadron commander. The
C-130 has the ability to haul a lot of
valuables, whether its food and water,
medical teams or helping evacuees.
C-130s primarily perform the tactical
portion of the airlift mission. The aircraft
is also capable of operating from rough,
dirt strips, and is the prime transport for
airdropping troops and equipment into
hostile areas.
Compared to older C-130s, the C-130J
climbs faster and higher, flies farther at
a higher cruise speed, and takes off and
lands in a shorter distance.
The airdrop capabilities, such as
Joint Precision Airdrop System and Low
Cost Low Altitude are things that really
improved over the years, Anderson
said. Before, you could think of us as
troop carriers, dropping off soldiers and
supplies at forward operating bases. Now,
with the newer C-130 J-model, we are
able to make airdrops from 300-18,000
feet in the air.
The Abilene community supports us
tremendously; they do a lot for spouses
and children before, during and after
deployments. The local community
and the 7th Bomb Wing have a great
relationship with the 317th AG because
they respect what we do and we respect
what they do for us, Rossi said.
Members from the 7th
Bomb Wing render a salute
as Maj. Gen. Rowayne A.
Schatz Jr., Air Mobility
Command director of
strategic plans, taxis in
a new J-model March 6,
2012, at Dyess Air Force
Base, Texas. The aircraft
is 16th of 28 J-models to
be delivered to Dyess by
2013, replacing the current
legacy fleet of C-130
H-models. (U.S. Air Force
photo by Airman 1st Class
Jonathan Stefanko)
March 2012 4
 A new Lynden company and airline is
born: LAC PNG takes flight
By Paul Willing and Judy McKenzie
Lynden Air Cargo LLC

This past year the Civil Aviation Safety

Authority of Papua New Guinea issued
an Air Operator Certificate to Lynden
Air Cargo (PNG) Ltd., creating the
worlds newest airline. After nearly two
years of hard work by Lynden Air Cargo
employees, the company is operational.
The first run was crewed by
Captain Steve Thompson, First Officer
Craig Breitung, Flight Engineer Paul
Krawchuck and Loadmaster Dan
Marshall with support from Mechanics
Ken Horwood and Stewart McArvail.
There was no time wasted afterward in
loading the aircraft for its first revenue
Left to right: Paul Willing, Vice President, Maintenance, Lynden Air Cargo, LLC; Greg Vaughan,
flight under the P2 flag, says Lynden Air President, Lynden Air Cargo (PNG), Ltd.; John Bromley, CASA PNG Director.
Cargo President Judy McKenzie.
Lyndens presence in Papua New U.S. it can now take up to three years to cargo service within Papua New Guinea.
Guinea began with a project in 2010 certify an airline. Adding to the challenge The new company has an office and
to support a gas development project was the requirement to learn an entirely maintenance base at Nadzab Airport in
operating under another Papua New new set of aviation regulations and Lae, which was one of the major World
Guinea airlines certificate. Lyndens develop a working relationship with a War II battles. The Lae operation is
Hercules moved supplies into the jungle new regulatory agency. Opportunities in supported by Greg, Kevin, Paul and
terrain. Papua New Guinea have been compared Ethan, Jeff Pull, Director of Quality
On my first trip to Papua New Guinea to those in the Alaska of 40 years ago. Control, Anthony Knapp, Director
in March 2010, I never imagined we Paul, along with LAC PNG President of Safety, and Chris Caden, Head of
would be starting a new airline there, Greg Vaughan, Captain and LAC PNG Training and Checking.
nor that I would return there four times Director of Flight Operations Kevin This is a significant achievement that
within 20 months, says Vice President Ruane and Manager of Technical came with great sacrifice over a long
of Maintenance Paul Willing. By late Services Ethan Bradford was in Papua period of time, including long work
September 2010, with Greg Vaughan New Guinea during August finalizing the hours due to different time zones and
onboard as our PNG knowledge resource, operating certificate. project needs, changing interpretations,
it became clear we would need to start Lynden is still supporting the gas application of regulations, and so much
our own airline. project on the island, but now has the more, Judy explains. The creation of
As one of the worlds most regulated potential for mining project support and LAC PNG was a true team effort and a
industries, the challenge was huge. In the other development projects plus outsized huge milestone for Lynden.

Threes A Crowd The last three of 17 CC-130Js

currently on order for the Royal
Canadian Air Force are going through
final acceptance procedures at the
Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta.
Deliveries will complete in early May,
many months ahead of the original
schedule. Canadas new CC-130Js
have already been deployed to support
a wide range of missions and the
new fleet will give Canada greatly
enhanced flexible airlift capability for
decades to come. (Lockheed Martin
photo by John Rossino)

March 2012 5
 Joint training maintains pilots,
loadmasters proficiency
On March 16, the U.S. Air Forces 37th Airlift Squadron completed a week-long airdrop training exercise with a ten-bundle
container deployment system at a drop zone near Grafenwoehr, Germany. (U.S. Air Force photos by Staff Sgt. Chris Willis)

Lt. Col. Joshua Olson, 37th Airlift Squadron commander, and Capt.
Marci Walton, 37th Airlift Squadron instructor pilot, go through the
pre-flight checklist in the flight deck of a C-130J Super Hercules.

A C-130J Super Hercules receives a de-icing before the 37th Airlift Capt. Marci Walton, 37th Airlift Squadron instructor pilot, goes
Squadron completes a week-long training exercise with a ten- through the pre-flight checklist in the flight deck of a C-130J
bundle container deployment system drop. Super Hercules.

Tech. Sgt. Kepa Kahihikolo, 37th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, checks over the loaded ten-bundle container deployment system in the cargo
bay of a C-130J Super Hercules. The cargo was dropped in order to support field-training exercises for the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat
Team from Vicenza, Italy. This training gave pilots and loadmasters here an opportunity to practice this type of airdrop.

March 2012 6
 Members of the 86th Maintenance Squadron unload a C-130J
Super Hercules after a ten-bundle container deployment
system drop mission.
Above and top left: Chief Master Sgt. Lewis Holston, 37th Airlift
Squadron superintendent, oversees the ten-bundle container deployment
system drop out of the cargo bay of a C130J Super Hercules.

Capt. Jason Spaulding, 37th Airlift Squadron pilot, Chief Master Sgt.
Lewis Holston, 37th Airlift Squadron superintendent, and Tech. Sgt.
Kepa Kahihikolo, 37th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, depart from a
C-130J Super Hercules.

Tech. Sgt. Kepa Kahihikolo, 37th Airlift Squadron loadmaster,

un-hooks the cargo straps in the cargo bay of a C-130J Super
(U.S. Air Force photos by Staff Sgt. Chris Willis)
Hercules, March 16, 2012 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

March 2012 7
 Tweak my ride
More than 400 variations of C-130 winglets were evaluated through computational fluid dynamics, and the most promising models were then tested
extensively in the wind tunnel. The data collected during the wind tunnel testing verified the CFD predictions. The optimal C-130 winglet design
stands about five feet tall and adds about five feet to the 132-foot wingspan of a Herk. Predicted results show about a twenty-one gallon per hour
reduction in fuel consumption on a typical 2,500 nautical mile mission with a 20,000 pound payload.
By Jeff Rhodes
Associate Editor, Code One Magazine
Cable TV is filled with programs
highlighting specialty firms with colorful
personalities who take ordinary cars,
motorcycles, and other vehicles and turn
them into overpriced show pieces that
arent really practical. The emphasis is on
bling, not on better.
But in the real world, a few
straightforward exterior tweaks will make
larger military aircraft like the C-130
markedly better.
According to a 2011 Department of
Defense report, the US armed forces
consumed nearly five billion gallons of
fuel of all types in military operations in
2010. Those gallons cost $13.2 billion,
a 255 percent increase over the fuel
bill in 1997. Saving even one percent
of those five billion gallons is a huge
amount of fuel and a big reduction in
cost, said Chuck Hybart, who headed
the fuel efficiency studies program for
the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works,
the companys advanced technology
development organization.
Air Mobility Command, which runs
the US Air Forces global network of
cargo transports and aerial tankers, is
the single largest consumer of fuel in the
Department of Defense. Recognizing the
need for ways to reduce its fuel usage,
AMC opened its Fuel Efficiency Office
in 2010. Lockheed Martin began its own
internal studies eighteen months earlier.
In the fall of 2008, when gas was $4
a gallon, we started looking at ways of
making large aircraft more fuel efficient.
We figured the Air Force would be
interested in saving some money, noted
Hybart
We started by looking through the
big end of the funnel. Anything that
was remotely possible was considered,
continued Hybart, who works out of the
Skunk Works operation at the companys
Marietta, Georgia, facility. We then
narrowed the field for more serious study
to those options that appeared to offer the
best return on investment.
Using mostly company research and
development dollars, the Skunk Works
researchers found an elusive intersection
of cost, difficulty to engineer and
implement, improvement in aircraft
efficiency, and length of time for payback
on investment for the Hercules.
Microvanes
With aircraft, drag is a bad thing.
Lift and thrust have to overcome
gravity and drag for an aircraft to fly.
The easiest, least expensive way to
improve C-130 fuel efficiency seems to
be counterintuitive: installing eighteen
small, lightweight, strake-like devices
on each side of the aircrafts aft fuselage
near the cargo ramp door and horizontal
tail. Called microvanes, these roughly
ten-inch-long vanes, which are only
lightly loaded aerodynamically, create
minimal localized drag. However,
working as a group, the microvanes slow
the natural, much larger drag-creating
vortex that forms as airflow goes over
and under the wing and swirls around the
aft end of the aircraft.
Research into mounting large, fixed
strakes mounted under the horizontal
tail of the Hercules at the upper part of
the cargo ramp door took place in the
late 1970s and early 1980s. While these
strakes did reduce drag significantly,
they interfered with airdrops and cargo
loading, and also had an adverse effect on
aircraft structure, all of which made them
operationally unacceptable.
Developed by a team led by Dr.
Brian Smith, the microvane design was
patented in August 2011. Microvanes,
which are relatively inexpensive to
produce, are bonded to the aircraft,
noted Hybart. The net result is a fifteen-
count reduction in drag at long range
cruise speeds, which equates to about a
twenty-five gallon per hour saving.
Testing was carried out in August 2011
using a new Canadian CC-130J Super
Hercules just off the Marietta production
line. The aircraft, instrumented to gather
data, was flown on three test flights that
showed computation fluid dynamics, or
CFD, predictions and reality matched.
CFD involves using a computer to
calculate boundary conditions where
airflow meets a solid surface. Realizing
that the blade vanes could possibly
impede paratroop or airdrop parachute
lines, a second type of microvane
was also developed and tested. This
microvane, called a bump vane, is a
rounded, snag-free version.
The bump vanes are placed lower
on the fuselage near the cargo ramp
and paratroop door and the blade vanes
are higher up the tail, noted Hybart.
We predict there will be no impact on
airdrops, but we will need to test them.
See TWEAK, Page 9
March 2012 8
A set of trial C-130 winglets, made of composite material and aluminum, will be ready for flight test in late 2012. The Process Development Center, a
Lockheed Martin rapid prototyping center at its Fort Worth, Texas, facility, built the prototypes.
TWEAK, from Page 8
Working with the Air Force Research
Laboratory, airdrop testing using both
types of vanes is likely to occur by late
2012. Several different thermoplastic
materials that can be injection molded
are being considered for production
microvanes.
This technology applies across the
C-130 board, noted Hybart. Both
legacy and C-130J operators can benefit
because the shape of the back end of the
aircraft hasnt changed. Microvanes can
be installed on the production line or as
an easy retrofit. These vanes were easy
to model, are relatively inexpensive, and
offer a good payback. We havent seen a
downside.
Lift Distribution Control System
To prevent overstressing the C-130s
wings during a mission, fuel is carried in
the outer wings. This fuel, called wing-
relieving fuel, keeps the outer wings
from flexing up too far, particularly
when carrying heavy payload weights.
This fuel, while necessary, is essentially
dead weight and cant be used during the
mission.
Using whats called a lift distribution
control system, or LDCS, both ailerons
are deflected upas opposed to one
deflected up and one deflected down
while the aircraft bankswhich shifts the
aerodynamic loading inboard toward the
center wing and fuselage.
Computer modeling predicts that
shifting the loads inboard reduces wing
bending loads by ten percent on a long-
fuselage C-130J with its more powerful
and more efficient engines and by
twenty-one percent on a legacy C-130H.
Shifting the aerodynamic loads also
increases the range of the C-130, as the
fuel in the outer wings can be used for the
mission. Using an LDCS increases range
on a C-130J carrying 42,000 pounds of
payload by 140 percent and by more than
300 percent for the C-130H.
A real-world example helps illustrate
how effective an LDCS would be for a
C-130J. A squadron commander is tasked
to transport 42,000 pounds of cargo 1,500
miles. His current options are to take all
42,000 pounds on one aircraft or split
the load and use two C-130Js. The first
option requires two legs to get to the
destination. The crew will have to take
off, climb, cruise, and land with required
fuel reserves at the 750-mile mark. After
refueling, the crew will have to repeat
the same flight profile to the destination.
The second option, assuming the payload
isnt a vehicle and can be divided, allows
the cargo to be transported nonstop, but
it requires twice the aircraft and crew.
With an LDCS, one C-130J crew could
move the entire 42,000 pound payload
in one flight, nonstop, with required fuel
reserves on landing.
Uprigging the ailerons forces the
aircraft to fly at a slightly higher angle
of attack, observed Hybart. Flying
slightly nose-high has the effect of
reducing drag in the back of the aircraft,
which we didnt expect. So, while having
See LDCS, Page 10
March 2012 9
LDCS, from Page 9
both ailerons up does create a very small
amount of drag over the wings, the net
effect is reduced drag on the aircraft.
The now mostly retired L-1011 airliner
and the C-5 Galaxy transport both have
an automatic LDCS. The aircrafts
computer determines aileron position
to relieve wing loading. What is being
looked at for the C-130 would be a
manual system controlled from the flight
deck that could be used at the crews
discretion, depending on mission and
payload.
Winglets
Winglets are one promising option that
turned up on the C-130. Winglets are the
upturned wingtip devices that improve
the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by
reducing drag through partial recovery of
the vortex energy created by the airstream
as it goes over the wingtip. These devices
also increase the effective aspect ratio
that is, wing length-to-chordwithout
materially increasing wingspan.
That winglets work can be seen in
the fact that commercial airlinesa
notoriously penny-pinching bunchhave
been buying new aircraft designed with
winglets for the past decade. The Deltas
and Americans of the world have also
recently started retrofitting winglets to
many of their older aircraft.
A combination of CFD studies and
actual wind tunnel testing was conducted
for the C-130. More than 400 variations
of C-130 winglets were evaluated through
CFD, and the most promising models
were then tested extensively in the wind
tunnel. The design was then optimized
to minimize induced wing loading and to
maximize aerodynamic benefits. The data
collected during the wind tunnel testing
verified the CFD predictions.
The optimal C-130 winglet design
stands about five feet tall and adds about
five feet to the 132-foot wingspan of a
Herk. Predicted results show either about
a four percent increase in range for a
C-130J on a long-range cruise mission
with a 17,250 pound payload or about
a twenty-one gallon per hour reduction
in fuel consumption on a typical 2,500
nautical mile mission with a 20,000
pound payload.
A set of trial winglets, made of
composite material and aluminum, will
be ready for flight test in late 2012. The
Process Development Center, a Lockheed
Martin rapid prototyping center at its
Fort Worth, Texas, facility, built the
prototypes.
PROVEN Contact Information:
Peter Simmons 770.494.6208
peter.e.simmons@lmco.com
Copyright 2012 Lockheed Martin Corporation
The microvanes, the lift distribution
control system, and the winglets all
provide benefits in different parts of the
flight regime, but they offer significant
net savings. Combined, they could result
in saving fifty gallons of fuel per hour,
noted Hybart. In terms of seeing these
improvements on a C-130, I think the
microvanes could be near-term. LDCS
and winglets are probably a little farther
out.
Payback on any of these fuel
efficiency improvements is a complicated
equation, concluded Hybart. It takes
time to modify the aircraft, and, while
being modified, its out of service. Fleet
size is a big factor. How many flight
hours an operator puts on those aircraft;
what part of the flight regime those
aircraft are flown in; and how much fuel
costs all need to be taken into account.
Higher-cost improvements obviously
take longer to pay back. But the cost of
buying a new aircraft is small compared
to operations and support costs over
that aircrafts lifetime. Some tweaks to
the aircraft will save a few percent in
fuel use. Over time, that will have a big
impact on life cycle costs.
Jeff Rhodes is the associate editor of
Code One.
March 2012 10