RAF Hercules Tankers
 

Marshall of Cambridge converted 6 x C130 aircraft into tankers starting in 1982 and they were retired in 2000. They were used for "training" whilst they were in RAF Service but I wonder if anyone knows if they were ever used in any "live operations" and if so what and when?! I am eager to have this info for a book project.

They were used as the Long Tanker on the Falklands Air bridge from ASI and on the FI for the F4

Thanks! Can you elaborate on the air bridge please. I thought that once there was an air Head in the Falklnds that put it within range of ASI for the Hercules

I've conducted AAR from an RAF C-130 tanker in a Nimrod on live operations. This forum is not the place to discuss details though.

RB,ahh,so it was you who snook up and stole all our fuel....

TH, didn't have time at first.

Once Stanley was open the Herc freighter would depart ASI with the Long Herd in company. A while later the Short tanker, a Victor, would depart and at a 'short' distance from ASI would refuel the long Herc which would already have refuelled the freighter. The two Hercs would continue to the long refuelling bracket, top up Herc and return to ASI. The freighter could then reach FI and, if necessary, divert to Uruguay.

The northbound freighter was unrefueled.

I am sure some Herc guys can fill in any blanks.

Spent a few hair raising hours in the South Atlantic tobogganing behind one of these.




http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/...psuoz5f4mx.jpg

Def used to tank it's sister Herc in the Falklands during live SAROPS

ISTR that the then Mr Marshall, in 1969 drove a Bentley, reg no MCE 777. At the time I was production controlling Concorde nose and visor assemblies. Then Marshall won the Hercules support contract, and MCE 777 was transferred to a Cadillac

The Air Historical Branch will have all your answers!

1312 Flt were based at MPA for many years after the air bridge was withdrawn with the C130 tankers providing AAR support to the resident fighters, F4s then F3s, as well as providing SAR cover in the area & air dropping supplies to places such as the South Georgia garrison. When the C130K tankers were withdrawn from service they were replaced by a Tristar (later a Voyager) & a 'flatbed' C130K, (later a C130J). The tanker was a versatile bit of kit, well suited to its tasks in the Falklands, as shown by what was needed to replace it.

Wrong, Ken...

1312 Flt moved from RAF Stanley and operated the C130K until 1996. The MPA tanker type which then replaced the C130 tanker was the VC10K and the flight then operated one VC10K and one non-tanker C130 for 17 years from 1996 until the VC10K4 was retired from service in 2013. The task was then inherited by the TriStar for about a year before a Voyager was deployed as the new MPA tanker to support the Typhoons based there.

Currently 1312 Flt operates one Voyager and one C130J. As the RAF's A400M does not have an AAR role, due in main to the AirTanker contract, although it would be perfectly capable of meeting all MPA-based tasks, the A400M is not likely to be deployed until the C130J is retired from service - if the commitment is still required, of course...

The 2 Herc tankers were replaced by a VC10 (1996-2013) ; the flatbed was already there as part of the 3 ac 1312 flt. It simply remained as part of the mixed fleet.

On the air bridge options 8 , 9 and 10 there was only one refuelling for the freighter. The long slot tanker had to refuel from the short slot but the freighter did not.

I remember one occasion when 1312's QRA C130 got airborne before the F4 :) That's good going!

Sorry, I'd forgotten about the VC10, such a memorable aircraft.......!

Just the 2 Herc tankers when I was there, no flatbed required as they could do everything by themselves.

The C-130 was always supposed to launch first to ensure AAR was available to support holding and/or diversion if the runway went Black.

Not when I was at MPA in the late 80s.

I was there! The first tanker was Mk 1 converted over a long weekend (at Marshall's?), then air tested going South. Rumours were heard of a lot of fuel sloshing around! More were then converted in very slightly slower time using whatever HDUs could be found - including a museum piece.
We then decamped to Ascension to support the airbridge. We left full and usually filled up again from a Victor mid South atlantic. We then topped the Herc airbridge so it arrived at Stanley with SA diversion fuel available. And yes, there were variations on that plot.

4T May be able to flesh out the following.

IIRC the short Victor was airborne for about 3 hours which would put the long Herc top up at about 750 miles. The long Herc was airborne about 10 hours which would put the final bracket at about 1,500 miles.

I was in ops and we were not concerned with the trail details.

God it was so much easier to take fuel from the Hercules than the Victor or VC10. Just a mild toboggan.

On my prods we took about 28,000 lbs about 5-6 hours out from ASI, then the poor sods turned around and flew all the way back to ASI.

12 hour trip ish, ASI - ASI