The
Lockheed Martin
EC-130V Hercules AEW&C aircraft was first developed for the United States Coast
Guard as a proof of concept aircraft in 1992 by the General Dynamics company(above
and top). As with the P-3 AEW, the EC-130V combined a C-130H airframe with the
APS-125 Radar and Mission System of the US Navy Hawkeye.
Again this aircraft was for counter-narcotics missions requiring greater endurance
than the E-2 could provide, but has also been evaluated for Search and Rescue,
Fisheries Patrols, EEZ enforcement and as a support aircraft for NASA Space
Shuttle launches. Externally the EC-130 differs from a standard Coast Guard
C-130 with the fitting of a large rotodome housing the APS-125 radar. Internally
the mission system is palletized and was rolled into the C-130 cargo bay to
complete the conversion (right). Due to budget cuts the Coast Guard, the EC-130V
program was terminated and the EC-130V was transferred to the USAF as the NC-130H
for further development including upgrading to the latest APS-145 Radar (below).
Lockheed
Martin and the USAF have taken the concept further and are now considering a
version based on the latest C-130J Hercules II (below) for Foreign Military
Sales.
Lockheed
Cutaways The History of Lockheed Martin; Gunston, Bill
Lockheed
Secret Projects Inside the Skunk Works
Lockheed
C-130 Hercules Versatile Medium Military Transport; Smith, Peter C.
Lockheed
C-130 Hercules; Bowman, Martin W
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