Last Active Duty C-130E Retired

Photo by John Rossino

The last active duty US Air Force C-130E Hercules was retired in 1 May 2012 ceremonies at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas. This aircraft (Air Force serial number 61-2358) was also the first E-model off the production line in 1961. Development of the C-130E began in 1960 to tailor the Hercules to fill an Air Force need for long-range logistics supply. A total of 488 C-130Es were built from 1961 to 1974 on the then-Lockheed Georgia Company assembly line in Marietta, Georgia. The aircraft was flown to Edwards AFB, California, where it will become a static display. This C-130E, which totaled 18,465 flight hours and 12,929 landings, had spent much of its early career at Edwards as a test asset.