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Originally Posted by Botnst
Is a C-130 low powered? I've seen one (in a Blue Angels demo) nearly stand on its stubby a$$ taking off, not to mention a carrier flight deck. That argues for a rather large amount of power, doesn't it?
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Well, the older versions had about 16,000 hp on the four engines. The aircraft was capable of lifting 155,000 lbs. This is not such a great power to weight ratio. When empty, the aircraft weight is 80,000 lb.
Contrast this to a turbine powered airplane that typically would have nearly triple the effective horsepower of the C-130. A Boeing 737 has 40,000 lb. of thrust (close approximation to 40,000 hp) and its weight is typically 120,000 lbs. It's not a very fast airplane and it's rate of climb can't compare to a modern commercial airliner.
The newer model, C-130J has quite a bit more power.
It's capability for landing and taking off on a carrier deck has more to do with the very slow airspeed required to get it airbore, rather than the horsepower available.