December 30, 2007 4:00 AM PST
It's hard to imagine a more versatile aircraft than the humble-looking C-130 Hercules (seen here on the runway at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in October 2006), a propeller-driven design from the middle of the 20th century that continues to be reinvented for an era of ever higher, ever fancier tech. The plump airframe carries paratroopers and fire-fighting equipment, hurricane hunters and 105mm cannons. The newest model, the C-130J, comes from the factory with the digital displays characteristic of today's "glass cockpits," while older versions--still logging thousands upon thousands of air miles--are being retrofitted with much the same technology.
Captions by Jonathan Skillings, staff writer, CNET News.com
Photo by U.S. Air force photo by Airman 1st Class Erin M. Peterson
Caption by Jonathan Skillings
