An RAF ‘loadie’ maintains a close watch on C.130K C.3 XV299 of the Lyneham Wing from the ramp of his Hercules. C.1 XV299 was delivered to 30 Squadron on 26 April 1968.
Meanwhile, on 3 June 1982 the RAF notched up its 10,000th hour of Hercules operations since ‘Corporate’ began. In fourteen weeks of operation, the UK MAMS teams at Ascension handled over 18,000 tons of freight and 42,000 passengers, all without loss. On 18 June Flight Lieutenant Terry Locke and his crew on 70 Squadron set a new world duration record for the Hercules in C.Mk.1P XVI79 on an airdrop mission to East Falkland lasting 28 hours 4 minutes.
The Fuerza Aérea Argentina (Argentine Air Force) had nine Hercules - two C-130Es and five C-130H transports and two KC-130H ‘Chancha’ (‘Mother Sow’) tankers of Grupo 1 de Transporte Aero at Rio Gallegos in its operational strength. The KC-130H tankers were used extensively in support of the Skyhawks and Super Étendards and frequently operated in a pair. The two C-130s, TC-61 and TC-63, with the C-130Hs TC-64 to TC-68 were primarily used from Comodoro Rivadavia. The FAA operated these Hercules transports on thirty-one resupply sorties, mostly under cover of darkness at very low level, in appalling weather, to the Port Stanley garrison from 1 May until 13 June, less than twenty-four hours before the surrender. They carried 400 tons of cargo in and brought out 264 casualties, plus a captured RAF Harrier pilot who was evacuated to the mainland. Two airdrop sorties were also flown to remote locations on the Islands. Grupo 1 operated one of its C-130Hs (TC-68) as a bomber on 29 May, when the fuel-laden 15,000-ton British-Wye was the target for a salvo of eight bombs. One of the bombs hit the ship but fortunately failed to explode, bouncing off into the sea. (A week later, on 8 June, a US-leased oil tanker, coincidentally named Hercules, on its way round Cape Horn in ballast, was also hit and again the bomb failed to explode - but this time the weapon finished up lodged below decks and the ship eventually had to be scuttled.)
The Falklands had only three airfields with the longest and only paved runway at the capital, Stanley. Though the newly-designated ‘Aerodromo Malvinas’ was too short to support fast jets. IA-58 Pucará’s (an Argentinean-built counter-insurgency aircraft) and lightly-loaded C-130 Hercules could operate from half the length of the Stanley runway. Hercules transport night flights brought supplies, weapons, vehicles and fuel and airlifted out the wounded up until the end of the conflict. The only Argentine Hercules that was lost in the conflict was shot down on 1 June when TC-63 was intercepted by a Sea Harrier of 801 Squadron from the carrier HMS Hermes, fifty nautical miles north of Pebble Island in daylight when it was searching for the British fleet north-east of the islands. The C-130E had departed Comodoro Rivadavia that morning at about the same time that a C-130H (TC-66) left Port Stanley for a long homeward run. The two aircraft were in occasional radio contact until about 1340Z, by which time the fighter controller on the British frigate HMS Minerva in San Carlos Water detected intermittent ‘skin paints’ to the north of Pebble Island by search radars when the Hercules ‘popped up’ for a quick radar sweep. Although low on fuel, two 801 Squadron Sea Harriers piloted by Lieutenant Commander Nigel ‘Sharkey’ Ward and Lieutenant ‘Stevie T’ Thomas were diverted from the return leg of a routine CAP over Pebble Island. ‘Sharkey’ Ward picked up the target on his own radar and began a tail-chase after the C-130E below cloud. Possibly warned by Argentine ground radar at Stanley, the C-130E made off at high speed and low level towards the mainland but was easily caught by the Sea Harrier. Worried by his low fuel state, ‘Sharkey’ Ward fired his first Sidewinder out of range and it fell short but he hit with his second, which started a fire between the port engines. Unable to wait to see if the missile had taken out such a large target, he emptied 240 rounds of 30mm cannon into the Hercules at close range and saw a wing off break off before the aircraft crashed into the sea in flames, fifty miles north of Pebble Island eight minutes after it was detected. All seven crew were killed. ‘Sharkey’ Ward and Steve Thomas had only 45 gallons of fuel left for their 180 mile transit to Invincible. They landed-on safely which was just as well because both pilots did not have enough fuel for a further circuit.
The final battles made Stanley’s runway untenable for Hercules aircraft until 24 June, when the first RAF Hercules landed with a UK MAMS team aboard whose mission was to help restore the islands’ war-torn economy. Next day a Hercules flown by Harry Burgoyne landed at Stanley to triumphantly return Rex Hunt, the former governor, to the Falkland Islands. Between 15-28 August the runway at Port Stanley was closed for landings while it was repaired and extended, so the Hercules had to make the 7,830-mile round trips without landing. These usually required around four in-flight refuellings. To enable a single Hercules to reach Port Stanley, the primary C-130 flew from Wideawake accompanied by a C.Mk.1K tanker, followed by a pair of Victor K.2s. The primary Hercules would be refuelled by the Victors before they returned to Ascension to be refuelled themselves, the Hercules tanker would then refuel the primary Hercules which would fly on to Port Stanley, while the C.Mk.1K also returned to Wideawake. The Victor K.2s would then take off and rendezvous with the primary Hercules on its return flight.
The Hercules carried mail and supplies on these air drops and picked up mail using an air-snatch technique devised at Brize Norton six weeks before. This involved trailing a grappling hook from the Hercules’ lowered ramp and engaging a nylon rope, suspended between two 22 feet poles on the ground, to which the mailbag was attached.
Often the unsung and largely unheralded role performed by the RAF Hercules fleet in sustaining the Task Force is understated and overlooked. That the Hercules was able to operate over such vast distances and in such inhospitable climes in the first place is due entirely to the engineering staff at Marshall Aerospace and at Lyneham, while the professionalism of the air- and ground-crews in the Lyneham Wing is unsurpassed. In all, 2,004 RAF personnel received the South Atlantic Campaign medal and 74 honours for the South Atlantic Operation were bestowed on members of the RAF, including fifty ‘in-theatre’ meritorious and gallantry awards.
Lessons learned in the Falklands were manifold and many have since been put to excellent use around the world. From April 1986, four (later two) C.Mk.1Ks of 1312 Flight have been stationed at RAF Mount Pleasant. Beginning in 1986 Marshall Engineering began fitting in-flight refuelling probes to the thirty C.Mk.3s to convert them to C.Mk.3P configuration. Starting in 1987 C.Mk.1Ps and C.Mk.1Ks began receiving AN/ALQ157 IR jamming equipment and chaff/flare dispensers. At least five C.Mk.1Ps were fitted with Racal ‘Orange Blossom’ ESM pods beneath their wing-tips to give some degree of surveillance capability.
Nine years after the Falklands War the RAF was faced with an even bigger logistics challenge when Iraq invaded neighbouring Kuwait on 2 August 1990, quickly overran this small Arab kingdom and massed its armies on the border with Saudi Arabia. King Fahd of Saudi Arabia invited friendly nations to assist in the defence of his country and the UN response led to the largest deployment of military hardware since World War II. The RAF involvement is described by Squadron Leader C. E. Cook BSc: ‘RAF Lyneham’s contribution to Operation ‘Granby’ began before even the first drumbeat of war had finished sounding in Whitehall. The first three crews departed on the morning of 8 August using spare seats that happened to be available on a VC-10 bound for Akrotiri, Cyprus on a normal peacetime task. These crews were to found a pool in Cyprus that was to remain there without break right through into May of the following year. Within three days the lift to the Gulf began in earnest and 25 aircraft were committed, slipping through Cyprus to Gulf stations as these were established. This was in addition to much of the normal tasking which had been the Station’s pre-planned lot, although plenty of a lowly nature was cancelled to release the crews and aircraft for the unexpected effort.
RAF C-130J aircraft delivering UK aid to Iraq.(MoD)
‘Initially, the lift was out of Lyneham, as we positioned all the equipment and personnel needed to support our own operations. Gradually, however, the thrust altered as the figh
ter squadrons began to deploy and the focus of the operation moved to Coltishall and Marham in Norfolk. The crews were flying long days, frequently in excess of 19 hours and working out of Cyprus either to the Gulf and back to Cyprus, or to the UK and back, in a single duty period. Few aircraft came through Lyneham at this time, creating something of an unreal air on the Station about the whole operation. By this stage Lyneham personnel were scattered across the whole of the Middle East, although there was more a feeling of optimism as each day seemed to bring the end of the operation apparently nearer. This false hope, however, was swiftly dispelled as more and more units were added to the list of those deploying. By the end of August the work rate had increased and it became apparent that we were in for a long haul. August indeed proved busy in the extreme, producing a total of hours flown at 2.8 times the original planned rate.
‘In September, deployment was no longer the complete air transport operation. By this time the units already deployed were crying out for resupply and deliveries of equipment that had been forgotten in the initial rush and, thus, a daily schedule began moving supplies and rations to Bahrain and Dubai. Within a week, though, its destinations had increased to include Seeb and Thumrait in Oman and Riyadh as well, with the schedule keeping Arabia on the left one day and on the right the next, as the route was reversed. Tasking throughout September was up-and-down as one deployment was completed and the next was not ready to go. Crews were brought home from Cyprus in reaction to an apparent lull only, in some cases, to turn round after a single night at home to return for a further effort.
‘At the start of October the Army started to move in force. Most of the troops came from Germany, which meant again a change of focus for the Operation. Fortunately, a measure of sanity imposed itself into the arrangements and all of the aircraft routed through Lyneham to change crews and avoid the long crew duty times that had featured so strongly in the early days. This phase opened interesting doors to us as Austria, a country we normally avoid, offered overflying rights to our aircraft, although not without creating confusion with the Italians, who could not get used to our continuing straight on at the top of Italy instead of turning left for France. The intensity of operations continued as the build-up of the Army developed and the first of the strange items of equipment, which eventually became so familiar, began to appear. The area around the outbound freight hangar gradually assumed the air of a junkyard as the normal storage areas were unable to cope with the volume of freight and boxes, cartons and equipment were piled haphazardly in the open air awaiting their return.
C-130J-30 ZH872 taking off from Camp Bastion in Afghanistan. (MoD)
‘The end of October saw another record in the number of hours flown by the Hercules fleet in a single month. Despite 25 hours more than August’s total, there still seemed no real sign of a let-up. Instead, the first Hercules detachment in the theatre formed when three aircraft, six crews and twelve each of engineers and movements personnel under a detachment commander established themselves at Riyadh International Airport. Whilst the TriStar took over the movement of freight and personnel from the UK to Riyadh, its aim was to distribute from there to all the Gulf stations. Not least amongst the mass of freight moved by this route was mail, which meant that once again the sound of Albert meant the arrival of ‘Blueys’ (Forces Air Mail letters) from those back home to cheer the weary days for the troops upon the ground.
‘Throughout November and into December operations continued. Despite confident assertions, the promised break for Christmas never materialised. Over Christmas Day itself, of our own we had only four crews in Cyprus plus the Riyadh detachment, although a total of 141 Lyneham people were scattered throughout the many Gulf locations. By now we were being assisted by many other nations and civilian cargo aircraft from Spain, Belgium, Nigeria and even Rumania, to name but a few. The roll call of strange loads continued with a complete desert cinema, water osmosis treatment plants, aardvarks and giant cobras featuring in the manifests. Amongst these wonders the mundane continued and all the facilities for a tented city to sleep over a thousand people passed through the gates on their way East. Unfortunately, the promised football pitch never appeared, although this was much to the relief of our loadmasters upon whom would have fallen the task of watering it during its transit.
The effort continued into January, but on the outbreak of the air war we, paradoxically, had our first real break for five months. In deference to the danger for unarmed transport aircraft, the skies of Saudi Arabia were closed and for one glorious 24-hour period, there was no tasking or movement of any kind. Then, as the scope of our air superiority became apparent so we eased back into action. By now the detachment in Riyadh had grown considerably, with seven aircraft and fourteen crews working round the clock both into the major air bases and to up-country rough strips in direct support of the Army. Despite the brief surcease, January proved to be another record month as over 7,500 hours were flown in support of the Operation alone.
‘The pace quickened, as it now became apparent that the ground war would soon follow and the lists of forgotten ‘must-haves’ continued to grow. Then, at last, it happened - but was as soon over. Our major role after the ground war started was to have been casualty evacuation, but little was required and, fortunately, the elaborate plans were not needed. Within days the emphasis changed entirely and the noises were all about returning items and personnel home, the freight stored in the open at Lyneham began to disappear back to the depots and a further air of unreality settled on the Station. Before the homeward rush began, however, other firsts were notched up as we flew the first fixed-wing aircraft into Kuwait itself, delivering firstly the men to secure the Embassy and then, a mere two days later, returning the Ambassador himself to his rightful place. Lyneham’s work was far from complete. Most of the equipment was to come home by sea, but still an enormous amount was too expensive or valuable to be left too long. In addition, the plight of the Kurds led to more effort as we launched into the new Operations of ‘Provide Comfort’ and ‘Haven’ to bring succour and protection to the refugees in Northern Iraq and Turkey.
‘By May something of a real calm at last descended. The main Operation was definitely complete but still our contribution, muted but nonetheless there, continued. A schedule ran every other day to Turkey in support of the Marines then extending into Iraq itself, as the Americans opened the small airfield of Sirsenk in the Anatolian Mountains. Meanwhile, our gulf detachment, now reduced to two crews and one aircraft, moved to Bahrain to continue until the end of June and 50,000 flying hours later when it was all over.’4
The RAF Air Transport Detachment (ATD) at King Khaled International Airport, Riyadh, was formed on 30 October 1990 with three Hercules and six crews, plus engineering, movements and support personnel from RAF Lyneham. Under the command of Wing Commander Peter Bedford its task was to provide ‘in-theatre’ transport wherever and whenever it was needed by British and other coalition forces in the Gulf. Two Hercules and three crews of 40 Squadron RNZAF joined the ATD on 23 December 1990 and was expanded to four crews in mid January, making a total of about sixty RNZAF personnel during the war period. In the main, support equipment tor operational squadrons was airlifted direct from normal operating bases in the UK, with station Mobility Flight personnel playing a major role in the planning and preparation for airlift. Lyneham and Brize Norton movers prepared and loaded the majority of the air freight and it was here that the strain of the huge out-load task was felt the most. The initial basis of operations was a ‘hub and spoke’ system, with RAF TriStars and VC-10 C.1.s feeding the ‘hub’ at King Khaled with freight and passengers and the Hercules flying out on the ‘spokes’, carrying the freight and passengers to locations within the theatre of operations. These included Seeb and Thumrait, both in Oman, Minhad in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabian airfields such as Dhahran, Tabuk, Jubail and Qaisumah and to other airfields and strips within the theatre of operations. From August 1990 to the end of February 1991 ov
er 46,000 Army, RAF and Royal Navy personnel were moved out to the Gulf by air alone, along with over 46,000 tonnes of equipment.
The unit was expanded on 14 January 1991 to seven Hercules and fourteen crews with proportionally more engineering and movements’ personnel, which brought the total number of people to about 200. The increase in size occurred just before the start of the air war on 17 January. That month over 7,500 hours were flown in support of the operation alone.
The beginning of ‘Desert Storm’ saw the Hercules using short strips - natural surface airfields - for moving troops of the 1st British Armoured Division. These flights employed ‘combat loading’, a procedure in which the aircraft fuselage is left empty of seats and the troops sit on the floor. During this time crews became expert in the skills of desert low flying. Their role then was to have been CASEVAC (Casualty Evacuation) from the field hospitals back to Riyadh for onward flights to the UK, but thankfully, little was required and fortunately the elaborate plans were not needed. The unit began to operate into Kuwait International Airport on 28 February and an ATD Hercules was the third fixed-wing aircraft to land there after the airport was reopened. Subsequently, the crews had the horror of having to fly into the thick black choking smoke that emanated from the burning Kuwaiti oil wells. From the beginning of March the Hercules operated regular schedules from Riyadh to the big seaport at Al Jubayl (Saudi Arabia), the Tornado bases at Tabuk (northwest Saudi Arabia) and Muharraq (Bahrain), as well as Dubai and Kuwait City and as required between various desert airstrips, like LZ05 in Kuwait and the desert airfield at Qaisumah (northern Saudi Arabia). Many tons of equipment and large numbers of homeward-bound personnel were carried on these flights, contributing to the records already broken by the RAF’s Hercules fleet since August 1990.
C-130 Hercules Page 40
