Interview with former RAF C-130 Captain
Scott Bateman MBE flew the RAF’s C-130 Hercules, here he shares the lowdown on this much missed tactical airlifter.
Describe the Hercules in three words…Forgiving, Ubiquitous, Robust.
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Whilst I have done many missions on the aircraft it is often those that have a special place in your heart, rather than the more demanding ones that you recall. I think my most memorable sortie was when I flew in a missing man formation of 4 Hercules that did a fly past at the RIAT to commemorate the loss of our colleagues in Iraq. It was a privilege to represent 47 squadron in that formation.
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I think the Hercules is so loved for a few reasons, firstly, its shape, it looks almost comedic with its large bulbous tyres and rounded nose, who couldn’t love an aircraft like that. The second is the fact that the aircraft has always been seen as the ’saviour’ in some way, whether that be dropping relief supplies, evacuating the injured or stranded, or rescuing hostages, it does not have the image of a fighter or bomber aircraft, it is one that saves lives, doesn’t take them.
The legacy aircraft and the J are so very different, it is often likened to owning a 1980s Ford Fiesta in comparison to a Tesla. Although at their core, the are both Hercules the capabilities and technology that the J has, eclipse those of the earlier models; whether that be the glass cockpit and heads-up-display (HUD), or the FADEC controlled uprated engines with a six-bladed carbon fibre prop, or the state of the art avionics that reduce the number of crew required to operate the aircraft tactically from 5 to 3.
The Hero has lasted so long because of the built in ability of the original design to be adapted as technology evolved. The aircraft provides capabilities that, until recently, had no equal, and in some areas, it still doesn’t.
Complete this sentence, “C-130 pilots are..”
I would change it slightly to “C-130 crews are some of the most innovate and brave aviators I have ever worked with”
Tell me something I don’t know about the C-130
You can make fresh omelettes in the little fan oven on the classic model. The J has a microwave to do the same.
What are some of the unlikely roles and missions the C-130 has performed?
I think some of the more unlikely roles are being a firefighting, electronic and psychological warfare aircraft, and more recently becoming an amphibious plane. But the most unusual are those who are adapted to drop the MOAB, the largest air dropped conventional weapon on the planet.
Was the RAF right to retire the Hercules – how did you feel about it?
I think the RAF had no choice but to retire the C-130 because of the budgetary constraints that they faced. The aircraft required significant investment to allow them to continue in service and the RAF could not afford that. That aside, the loss of capability that is yet to be taken on by the A400M leaves the country exposed. As we have seen in Germany and elsewhere the A400M is not a Hercules replacement and countries are now buying more J models to supplement their air transport and tactical capabilities, I think, in time, we will realise the same.
I am a huge C-130 advocate and its loss from the RAF fleet after 56 years of service was always going to be a sad affair, but the memories of those missions and times, I hope are captured in my book, allowing them to live on for decades to come.
Secret to a happy C-130 crew?
Tea and a sausage roll during my tenure, more recently crews prefer water and a Peloton machine.
Most scary on challenging flight/mission?
I think it is fair to say that most military aviators would not say they have ever been scared on a mission, this is not some sort of bravado, or unwillingness to show vulnerabilities, it is more about the focus that is needed to achieve these sometimes complex tasks, there is no time to be scared. The most challenging missions I have been on are those which are more technically challenging than perhaps facing enemy action. For me taking tracked rapier units into a small Scottish airfield were some of the most challenging flights I have ever flown.
What advice would you give to new C-130 pilots?
I would tell anyone starting out to fly the C-130 now to enjoy your time on the best military platform ever built.
What systems did the C-130 lack?
When it was initially envisioned, I don’t think the designers would have ever dreamed of some of the roles that aircraft has performed over the past 70-years. Initially it was never thought to have been needed to operate in a non-permissive environment and certainly the UK variants lacked the appropriate self defence equipment on their airframes and for the crews themselves. We touch on this in the book when talking about the first C-130 missions into Iraq during the Gulf War. We will have heard of the Tornados going into battle with their defensive suites, the herc did similar with no protection other than some coiled up freight chains to protect the pilots from ground fire. Frightening when you look back on it, but the risks that are needed during operations to get the tasks done. This legacy of lack of defence equipment led to the aircraft not having a key safety feature, ESF, in the fuel tanks, which sadly was a major factor in the loss of a crew and their aircraft in Iraq during enemy action.
In more recent times the aircraft have been equipped with state of the art defensive equipment and the crews equipped with the latest safety and survival outfits.
Scott Bateman’s new book on the Hercules is available here
The Hush-Kit Book 3 is available for pre-order here.