AP 118 · No. 10 Section II · Aircraft 1954

Aircraft hub · 1954 · Cold War

Lockheed Hercules

Seventy years in production and counting. The answer to ‘how do we get it there?’ since 1956. The gazetteer currently lists it at 3 UK museums.

1954
First flight
2,500+
Built
366 mph
Top speed
3
Museums

Last verified 2026-10-11 against the gazetteer Compendium. Airframes move — confirm on museum pages before travel.

On charge

Where to see the Lockheed Hercules in the UK

The gazetteer records 3 Lockheed Hercules airframes (including cockpit sections and replicas where noted) across 3 UK collections, in 3 regions: London & Around, Midlands & Lincolnshire, Wales.

MuseumCityRegionAirframes recorded
Royal Air Force Museum LondonChecked 2026-10-08 London London & Around Lockheed WC-130E Hercules cockpit section 64-0553 Cockpit or section
Royal Air Force Museum MidlandsChecked 2026-10-08 Shifnal Midlands & Lincolnshire Lockheed C-130K Hercules C.3 XV202
South Wales Aviation MuseumChecked 2026-10-08 Barry Wales Lockheed Hercules C.3 cockpit section XV221 Cockpit or section

3D model

The C.3 in 3D

A procedural model built in Blender from the type’s published dimensions, painted as XV202, a Lockheed C-130K Hercules C.3: the RAF's stretched Hercules, lengthened by 4.57 m with plugs fore and aft of the wing, a high-winged four-engined tactical transport powered by four Allison T56 turboprops driving four-blade Hamilton Standard propellers, with a rear loading ramp under the upswept tail and an in-flight refuelling probe over the cockpit as a C.3P; delivered in 1967, stretched by Marshall of Cambridge in 1984 and flown to the RAF Museum Midlands, Cosford, for display in August 2011; painted as it is shown there: faded olive drab overall, low-visibility red and blue roundels on the rear fuselage, a red and blue fin flash with ‘202’ above it, ‘202’ under the cockpit windows and grey engine cowlings; the starboard markings are assumed to mirror the port side and the wings are left unmarked because no photograph shows them. Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom · all 215 models · download .glb (1.4 MB) · Plate 163 in The Hangar

Computed from the survey

Collection context

Types you’ll see alongside

Blackburn Buccaneer, English Electric Canberra, Gloster Meteor, Handley Page Victor, Harrier family.

Where the type is thickest

London & Around has 1 collection recording the type.

Marks and variants recorded

Lockheed C-130K Hercules C.3; Lockheed Hercules C.3 cockpit section.

Type notes

The Lockheed Hercules in brief

TypeLockheed Hercules (C-130K / WC-130E)
UK museums holding one3
Airframes recorded in this survey3

Serials are the gazetteer's survey snapshot of what each collection records on charge — restorations move between workshops and reserve hangars, so check the museum page for opening times and current display status before travelling. Every type across 119 museums is indexed in the Compendium.

Aircraft questions

Frequently asked

How many Lockheed Hercules airframes are left in the UK?

The Aviation Gazetteer records 3 Lockheed Hercules airframes in UK collections.

Which museum has the most Lockheed Hercules airframes?

Royal Air Force Museum London has the most in this survey, with 1 recorded airframe.