Factbox: C-130 Hercules aircraft used as water bombers to fight fires around the world

- A Lockheed C-130 Hercules tanker fighting bushfires in Australia’s alpine region crashed after losing contact with ground control on Thursday, authorities said. Modified versions of the aircraft are used around the world to dump large quantities of flame retardant or water on wildfires.

FILE PHOTO: A television reporter stands in front of a Large Air Tanker C-130 Hercules as it drops a load of around 15,000 litres during a display by the Rural Fire Service ahead of the bushfire season at RAAF Base Richmond Sydney, Australia, September 1, 2017. REUTERS/David Gray/File Photo - Originally designed as a military troop and cargo transport aircraft, the four-engine turboprop can be modified to act as a “water bomber” to douse wildfires.- It can carry 15,000 liters of water or fire retardant, which can be released in one large drop within seconds or several smaller drops.- It is able to take off and land on short, unsurfaced runways.

- A U.S. Air Force C-130 tanker crashed in 2012 while battling a South Dakota wildfire, killing four of its six crew. The accident led to the temporary grounding of the other eight such planes. It was the first crash in the 40-year history of the joint Defense Department-Forest Service program. It was later determined to be weather-related.

- A privately owned, former U.S. Air Force C-130 tanker crashed in 2002 while fighting wildfires in California, killing all three crew on board. The accident was caught on video camera, showing that the wings folded upward, breaking off the plane before the fuselage rolled and hit the ground upside down.- Australia was the second country to begin using the C-130 after it entered service in the United States in 1956.

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