I know it's just "Popular Mechanics", but the idea seemed pretty good.

The Army is looking into adding a big set of rotor blades on the roof
of a C-130 Hercules for the purpose of forward supply of its units.

The blades would have small jets faired into their tips providing the
spin. This would allow the aircraft to land in very short distances,
and the blades would just autorotate while the four turboprops moved
it along at 300 mph in and out of the danger area.

Apparently a firm is looking into the viability of making such a
conversion. Seems it would not involve too much rebuilding/modification
of the aircraft, and a decision will be made that could put the aircraft
into service by 2008.

The modifications seem simple and possible enough. The takeoff/landing
control software seems likely to be a nightmare!

But the picture looked cool!


SMH

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 15:11:18 -0400, Stephen Harding
> wrote:

>I know it's just "Popular Mechanics", but the idea seemed pretty good.
>
>The Army is looking into adding a big set of rotor blades on the roof
>of a C-130 Hercules for the purpose of forward supply of its units.
>
>The blades would have small jets faired into their tips providing the
>spin. This would allow the aircraft to land in very short distances,
>and the blades would just autorotate while the four turboprops moved
>it along at 300 mph in and out of the danger area.
>
>Apparently a firm is looking into the viability of making such a
>conversion. Seems it would not involve too much rebuilding/modification
>of the aircraft, and a decision will be made that could put the aircraft
>into service by 2008.
>
>The modifications seem simple and possible enough. The takeoff/landing
>control software seems likely to be a nightmare!
>
>But the picture looked cool!
>
>
>SMH



I actually hope the don't do it. It seems like a bandaid instead of a
real solution (unlike that four engine Boeing STOL design :-) )

Stephen Harding > wrote in message >...
> I know it's just "Popular Mechanics", but the idea seemed pretty good.
>
> The Army is looking into adding a big set of rotor blades on the roof
> of a C-130 Hercules for the purpose of forward supply of its units.
>
> The blades would have small jets faired into their tips providing the
> spin. This would allow the aircraft to land in very short distances,
> and the blades would just autorotate while the four turboprops moved
> it along at 300 mph in and out of the danger area.
>
> Apparently a firm is looking into the viability of making such a
> conversion. Seems it would not involve too much rebuilding/modification
> of the aircraft, and a decision will be made that could put the aircraft
> into service by 2008.
>
> The modifications seem simple and possible enough. The takeoff/landing
> control software seems likely to be a nightmare!
>
> But the picture looked cool!

This would not be the first attempt to turn the Hercules into a
vertical landing (or very nearly so) aircraft; back during the Iran
hostage crisis, there was a test of a C-130 with forward firing
JATO/RATO packs. During the test the rockets were fired while the
aircraft was still airborne, and the results were not pretty.

Brooks

>
>
> SMH

See the previous thread on 'Can the V-22: Bring Back the Rotodyne!'

Tony Williams
Military gun and ammunition website: http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk
Military gun and ammunition discussion forum:
http://forums.delphiforums.com/autogun/messages/