BangShift-worthy Aircraft: The XFC-130H Hercules “Operation Credible Sport” – Just Add Rockets!


BangShift-worthy Aircraft: The XFC-130H Hercules “Operation Credible Sport” – Just Add Rockets!

The taking of hostages in Iran in late 1979 set the U.S. military into motion with the goal of freeing the hostages that were held in the American embassy in Tehran. The first attempt was the ill-fated “Operation Eagle Claw”, which was aborted after several helicopters suffered mechanical issues, only to have a RH-53D fly into an EC-130 refueling aircraft, killing eight service members. Within two weeks of Eagle Claw, testing began on the “Credible Sport” project: the creation of a “Super STOL” (Short Take-Off and Landing) airframe with the intention of landing the aircraft in the Amjadieh Stadium, located across the street from the American Embassy. Once the extrication process was complete, the hostages and operators would be flown out of the stadium to a waiting aircraft carrier for treatment.

Three C-130 aircraft were chosen for modification, and within eight weeks, came back with a laundry list of new gear. “Combat Talon” avionics were installed and a new radome was fixed to the front of the plane. The airframes were structurally upgraded for aircraft carrier operations and a tail hook was added. Double-slotted flaps and extended ailerons were added to aid in steep decent flight, a dorsal and two ventral fins were added for extra stability, and then there was the blatantly obvious modification: thirty rockets, set up into two systems, matched in pairs. One set was for decent and braking, the other for short and near-vertical take-off. Due to issues with the computer that controlled the firing mechanism, the rockets were manually triggered. The first completed XFC-130H, 74-1683, was delivered in September 1980. Testing was conducted at a disused airstrip at Elgin Air Force Base.

credsport wreckage

After basic flight tests were performed, a mission test was planned for October 29th, 1980. The first stage of testing was promising, with the aircraft taking a 100ft ground roll and 200 forward feet to gain 300 vertical feet. The second stage is where things fell apart: during the landing phase, three sets of rockets were to be fired, one forward stage to slow the airframe down and one downward phase to soften the landing impact. The second forward phase would fire once the aircraft was on the ground. What ended up happening instead was that the pilots, blinded by the first forward phase’s firing, believed they had already touched down and fired the second stage early. This reduced the aircraft’s forward speed to just above nothing and the craft dropped to the runway surface hard enough to break the right wing between the two engines. The pilots were able to walk away from the accident scene, but the aircraft was a write-off. The avionics were stripped and the plane was buried somewhere on Elgin Air Field.


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2 thoughts on “BangShift-worthy Aircraft: The XFC-130H Hercules “Operation Credible Sport” – Just Add Rockets!

  1. ANGRYJOE

    As a vetern C-130 propulsion mechanic this video is both glorious and sad. The thought of strapping JADO rockets to a Herk is stuff of legend but seeing one bite the dust makes ANGRYJOE a little sad. I first saw this in technical training in early 94. Still as awe inspiring…..

  2. Matt Cramer

    This is like something out of a G.I. Joe cartoon happening in real life. Even though the test failed, I’m impressed that such a crazy idea came that close to really working!

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