The cover bears 15p Falkland Islands Lockheed Hercules 75th Anniversary of the Royal Air Force stamp cancelled at Stanley Falkland Islands on the 7 April 1997.  The covers have been flown from RAF Lyneham to Split (fomer Yugoslavia) in Hercules C Mk3 XV176 of No 30 Squadron and reflown to the Falklands for cancellation.

The cover has been signed by the five Commanding Officer os RAF Squadrons equipped with the Lockheed Hercules as follows:

Wing Commander RM Bailey MSC RAF, OC No 24 Squadron
Wing Commander J Lamonte MA BSC CMath RAF, OC No 30 Squadron
Wing Commander GJ Crawford RAF, OC No 47 Squadron
Wing Commander RD Jenkins BSC RAF, OC No 57(R) Squadron
Wing Commander P Williams BSc RAF, OC No 70 Squadron

Official special numbered and certified on the reverse.

30th ANNIVERSARY OF THE HERCULES C-130K IN ROYAL AIR FORCE SERVICE

The RAF purchased 67 Hercules C-130K aircraft, first replacing the ageing and limited range Beverley aircraft and later to assume the work of the Argosy.  The first aircraft was delivered on 15 April 1967, to commence operational conversion unit training; the initial instructor nucleus was trained in the USA.  In the early days, the C-130Ks were based at 4 RAF stations and operated by 5 squadrons and the Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), these were: Changi - No 48 Squadron; Fairford - Nos 30 and 47 Squadrons; Lyneham Nos 24 and 36 Squadrons and Thorney Island - No 242 OCU.  Following the withdrawal of the Hercules from the Far East, No LXX (70) Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri operated the Hercules alongside its Argosy aircraft before being returned to RAF Lyneham and being equipped with all Hercules aircraft.  The only other unit to operate the Hercules was No 1312 Flight, formed specifically for South Atlantic operations and now resident at RAF Mount Pleasant, in the Falkland Islands.

CHANGI, SINGAPORE  In 1967, No 48 Squadron built up to a strength of 12 Hercules aircraft, at RAF Changi in Singapore.  The aircraft, tasked by the Far East Air Force (FEAF), performed Scheduled Flights to Hong Kong and Gan/Karachi and frequent training flights were made to the North and South Pacific, East Africa, Australia/New Zealand, Thailand and East/West About.  During its time in the Far East theatre, the Hercules was involved in contingency operations to quell civil unrest in Mauritius, flood relief in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and Malaysia.  No 48 Squadron reduced to 8 aircraft in 1970, before returning to RAF Lyneham in mid-1971 where it continued to operate route and transport support flights until its disbandment.

AKROTIRI, CYPRUS  No 70 Squadron, RAF Akrotiri received Hercules to enable them to reach the Gulf area more efficiently than with the Argosies that operated alongside.  The C-130s were tasked by the Near East Air Force on regular flights to Bahrain, Masirah, Muscat and Salalah.  The Squadron was very much involved in the contingency to evacuate British Nationals from Cyprus when Turkey invaded the Island in 1974.  Shortly afterwards, No 70 Squadron rebased at Lyneham and discarded its Argosies; it has the distinction of being the last squadron to operate the Hercules from an overseas base.

FAIRFORD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE  RAF Fairford had a brief association with the Hercules from 1967 until its hand over to the United States Air Force (USAF) a few years later.  Aircraft from RAF Fairford, operated by Nos 30 and 47 Squadron, were tasked on word-wide Air Transport Operations in an identical way to those at RAF Lyneham.  At this time, all RAF stations in the UK were tasked by MOD through Headquarters No 38 Group, with full command of the assets belonging initially to Air Support Command.  Both Fairford Squadrons moved to RAF Lyneham, where they have remained for the past 27 years or so.

THORNEY ISLAND, HAMPSHIRE    The first Hercules was delivered to RAF Thorney Island on 7 April 1967 by one of the RAF crews trained in the USA.  Initially, the Hercules shared the use of RAF Thorney Island with the Argosy, and later the Andover training aircraft.  Many of the earlier Hercules crew members will fondly remember their training at Thorney Island, an idyllic base with its own yachting marina.  Noise was a particular problem in the local area and night flying was always completed overseas; first at El Adem, then Luqa, later Akrotiri and on occasions Machrihanish.  Trainers to the Far East eventually gave way to the North Atlantic, as the emphasis in RAF Air Transport shifted theatres.  In 1975, the Hercules OCU moved to RAF Lyneham, where it has remained since, albeit its number has changed in recent years.

LYNEHAM, WILTSHIRE  Although in the early days of the RAF Hercules, aircraft were based at Akrotiri, Changi, Fairford, and Thorney Island, it is only RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire that has retained its connection (since August 1967) and in doing so has become aptly named in RAF circles as the ‘Home of the Hercules’.  The motto on the Station Badge of RAF Lyneham, ‘SUPPORT, SAVE, SUPPLY’, aptly describes the function of the Station and the squadrons that are based there.  The 4 squadrons and Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), are established with 55 Hercules aircraft and the station is the home for about 10,000 people (including dependents of Service personnel) living and working, on its 2,500 acre site.  The Hercules does indeed support, save and supply, and he has been doing so very successfully for the RAF over the past 30 years.    Lyneham’s 4 squadrons of Hercules, Nos 24, 30, 47 and LXX (70) Squadrons have long been in situ.  Since the defence cuts of 1975, the entire RAF Hercules fleet has been based at Lyneham although their tasks have taken them all over the world.  Lyneham’s Hercules have been involved in the following operations, amongst others:

1974 Airlift of Service families and tourists from Cyprus following the Turkish invasion.
1975 Operation Cadnam, reinforcement of Belize.
1976 Earthquake relief, Managua, Nicaragua.
1979 Famine relief, Cambodia.
1982 Operation Corporate, recapture of Falkland Islands.
1984 Famine relief, Ethiopia.
1990 Operation Granby, Gulf War.
1992 Sarajevo relief flights.
1992/3 Somalia famine relief.
1995/6 Deployment of UK forces for NATO peacekeeping in Bosnia.

In the early days, the regular Scheduled Flights for the UK based Hercules involved a colossal amount of flying to the Far East; the ‘Changi Slip’, as it was widely known, staged through Akrotiri, Bahrain and Gan to Singapore.  Loads destined for Hong Kong and other exotic locations were onmoved by No 48 Squadron.  As the RAF’s role was directed more towards Europe and NATO, Scheduled Flights reduced in distance and the key locations of Cyprus, Germany and Gibraltar received regular support.  Transport Support became a major item in the early 70s and massive formations of Hercules under the Joint Air Transport Force (JATFOR) launched to the skies.  RAF Lyneham Transport Support squadrons still before major drops involving up to 16 aircraft; however, the mounting of such missions is a little more serene than in the intensive and perhaps mildly dangerous days of JATFOR.  The versatility of the aircraft does not mean that the squadrons at Lyneham are employed in a ‘Jack-of All Trades’ role.  Nos 24 and 30 Squadrons, whose Dakotas played a prominent part in the Berlin Airlift, transport service personnel and freight world-wide in the Strategic Air Transport role.  Both squadrons, performed with distinction in the Falkland Islands campaign.  No 47 Squadron flew its new Hastings aircraft in the Berlin Airlift, and was heavily committed to the Task Force re-supply operations mounted from Ascension Island during the Falklands campaign.  It can be used to deploy British forces anywhere they are needed at short notice and, while militarily it provides a close support function it is also a humanitarian resource in supplying famine relief and aid to disaster areas.  No LXX Squadron also received South Atlantic Battle Honours and has distinguished itself in famine relief, particularly in Ethiopia.  Like No 47 Squadron, No LXX Squadron specializes in the Tactical Support role - air-dropping of paratroops and supplies.

Whether a squadron is tasked to provide Transition to War, Out of Area Operations (outside the NATO area) or Special Forces Support, its crews are trained in these specific roles.  Training and refresher courses are provided through the Hercules Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), badged as No 57(R) Squadron which, unsurprisingly, is the largest such unit in the RAF.  The OCU provides initial training for about 30 crews a year, and refresher courses (at intervals of between six months and two years) for 90 crews each year.  If a major operation dictates cessation of training, the OCU crews and the aircraft allocated to them fully support the Stations mission, in this way, the OCU instructors retain first hand operational experience.  There are 3 full-mission advanced flight simulators at Lyneham, staffed with qualified and experienced Hercules pilots, air engineers and air electronics operators.  The simulators have data bases that cover the world, allowing simulated approaches to be made to most civil and military airfields.  Simulator memory banks contain all the navigational data for route flying, while a wide range of malfunctions can be keyed-in to test the individual’s ability to cope with problems.

ENGINEERING  Unlike squadrons in the 40’s and 50’s, today’s air transport squadron does not have its own ground engineering servicing.  All the aircraft are available to all the crews, subject to serviceability and the type of task or mission to be flown.  This organization of resources clearly makes it all the harder to establish and maintain a squadron identity and spirit, but it does help to ensure that expensive and complicated aeroplanes are operated according to Standard Operating Procedures, and that the people flying them and the engineers that service them are appropriately trained.  The system ensures that there is maximum flexibility and efficiency in the use of limited resources - even if individualism is sacrificed in the process.  Results speak for themselves, of course, and the safety records and achievements of Lyneham’s Hercules squadrons are magnificent by any standards.  The Engineering Wing at RAF Lyneham which has an establishment of some 1,250 personnel, provides first and second line servicing for all of the Station’s Hercules.  ‘A’ and ‘B’ Line Servicing Squadrons split the maintenance task, while the Aircraft Engineering Squadron carries out the next level of deeper maintenance together with servicing the mechanical components.  Marshall Aerospace of Cambridge are contracted to undertake the major servicing and have done so since the introduction of the Hercules into RAF service.  Without doubt, Engineering Wing, with 3 decades of knowledge and experience of Hercules behind them, know a great deal about keeping the Hercules fit to fly.  Undeniably too, as he has advanced in years, the aircraft have needed more attention.  In December 1993, the Ministry of Defence issued a requirement for a Hercules replacement.  A year later the intention was announced to purchase 25 Hercules CMK4/5 (C-130J) aircraft from Lockheed and 40-plus of the projected Future Large Aircraft (FLA) from the Airbus consortium.

AIRCRAFT STATISTICS AND VARIATIONS  The aircraft can carry loads of more than 18 tons - 6 times as much as the old Dakota, while the freight bay hold almost 6,000 cu ft of freight, 88 paratroopers or even a Puma helicopter.  The initial paint schemes for the RAF Hercules was dark brown and sand camouflage with shiny black underside and gloss white over the cockpit - ‘Air Support Command’ or ‘Far East Air Force’ appeared on sides in white, according to theatre of origin.  The white over cockpit was discontinued in the early 70s; the brown/sand paint was applied in matt finish and ‘Royal Air Force’ was painted on the sides.  Green/Grey with ‘Royal Air Force’ and airframe numbers in black became the fashion as the Hercules became firmly embedded in NATO and the European theatre; a Special Forces paint scheme was devised with wrap around camouflage.  For the 90s, Air Defence Grey became the widely adopted paint scheme for the RAF and the Hercules was no exception.  Variants of the original C Mk 1 (normal) Hercules were the C Mk 3 (stretched) and the Mk 1K (Tanker - 1982 -1996).

The RAF Hercules has proven so vital to the United Kingdom’s military mobility and has been so crucial to humanitarian relief work.  Everything achieved over the past 30 years has been achieved with the C-130K model, hopefully its successor will perform with equal distinction and be regarded as fondly by the public and those who fly them.  Even now, the C-130K is not coming to the end of his engagement with the RAF because the new J-model is running late and will only replace part of the fleet.  Although, the ‘J’ model has new 6-bladed propellers and an entirely remodelled flight deck, it is without doubt a Hercules and will therefore most likely ensure another 30 years of RAF service.

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