General Characteristics

Primary Function: Infiltration, exfiltration 
and resupply of special operations forces
Builder: Lockheed
Power Plant: Four Allison T56-A-15 
turboprop engines
Thrust: 4,910 shaft horsepower each engine
Length:
MC-130E: 100 feet, 10 inches (30.7 meters)
MC-130H: 99 feet, 9 inches (30.4 meters)
Height: 38 feet, 6 inches (11.7 meters)
Wingspan: 132 feet, 7 inches (40.4 meters)
Speed: 300 mph
Load:
MC-130E: 53 troops, 26 paratroopers
MC-130H: 77 troops, 52 paratroopers or 
57 litter patients
Ceiling: 33,000 feet (10,000 meters)
Maximum Takeoff Weight:155,000 pounds 
(69,750 kilograms)
Range: 2,700 nautical miles (4,344 kilometers) 
Inflight refueling extends this to 
unlimited range
Crew: 
MC-130E: Officers - two pilots, two navigators 
and an electronic warfare officer; 
enlisted - flight engineer, radio operator and 
two loadmasters
MC-130H: Officers - two pilots, a navigator 
and electronic warfare officer; 
enlisted - flight engineer and 
two loadmasters
Date Deployed: MC-130E, 1966; 
MC-130H, June 1991
Unit Cost: MC-130E, $75 million; 
MC-130H, $155 million 
(fiscal 2001 constant dollars)
Inventory: Active force, MC-130H, 24; 
Reserve, MC-130E, 14; ANG, 0 


"These aircraft are equipped with 
in-flight refueling equipment, 
terrain-following, terrain-avoidance 
radar, an inertial and GPS navigation 
system, and a high-speed aerial 
delivery system. Some MC-130Es are 
also equipped with the surface-to-air 
Fulton recovery and helicopter air 
refueling systems. The mission of the 
MC-130E Combat Talon I and MC-130H 
Combat Talon II is to provide global, 
day, night, and adverse weather 
capability to airdrop and airland 
personnel and equipment in support of 
US and allied special operations forces. 
The MC-130 conducts infiltration, 
exfiltration, resupply, psychological 
operations, and aerial reconnaissance 
into hostile or denied territory using 
airland and/or airdrop. Both Combat Talons 
are capable of inflight refueling, giving 
them an extended range limited only by crew 
endurance and availability of tanker support. 
The MC-130E Combat Talon I is capable of air 
refueling helicopters in  support of extended 
helicopter operations. MC-130 missions may be 
accomplished either single-ship or in concert 
with other special operations assets in varying 
multi-aircraft scenarios. Combat Talons are able 
to airland/airdrop personnel/equipment on austere, 
marked and unmarked LZ/DZs, day or night. MC-130 
missions may require overt, clandestine or low 
visibility operations.

Equipment

The special navigation and aerial delivery 
systems are used to locate small drop zones 
and deliver people or equipment with greater 
accuracy and at higher airspeeds than possible 
with a standard C-130E/H aircraft. The following 
equipment hasbeen installed on the standard 
C-130E/H aircraft to comprise the major 
components of the MC-130 
aircraft configuration:

Terrain-Following/Terrain-Avoidance Radar
Precision Ground Mapping Radar
Automatic Computed Air Release Point System 
Electronic Countermeasures
Infrared Countermeasures
High Speed Low-Level Aerial Delivery System
Container Release System
Ground-to-Air Responder/Interrogator /MC-130E
PPN-19 Beacon/MC-130H
Inflight refueling, receiver operations
Secure voice HF, UHF, VHF-FM and SATCOM radios
Forward Looking Infrared
Helicopter refueling operations (MC-130E aircraft only)
Internal fuel tanks (Benson tanks)


(Excerpt from the JCS SOF Reference Manual)