Lockheed C-130B Hercules

The C-130B was the first major improvement of the Hercules. Four-bladed Hamilton Standard propellers replaced the A-model's three-bladed units, auxiliary fuel tanks were built into the centre wing section to extend range, an AC electrical system was introduced and aileron hydraulic pressure rose from 2,050 to 3,000 psi. It flew with Allison T56-A-7 engines.

The US Air Force ordered 134 and the type entered USAF service in May 1959. Thirteen were later converted into C-130B-II electronic reconnaissance aircraft, and the airframe also became the basis of the first Coast Guard rescue Hercules (HC-130B).

Exports came early: Canada took four B-models, designated CC-130 Mk I, in late 1960. The B also served with air forces such as Pakistan, Indonesia and South Africa, and Romania still flew its ex-US C-130Bs on NATO exercises more than six decades after the variant first appeared.