The Continuing Evolution of the C-130 Environmental Control System 1999-01-2163

The vast array of C-130 applications demand a variety of air conditioning solutions to meet the specific needs of each variant and its user. Existing C-130′s are often reconfigured for special use such as airborne early warning and control (AEW&C), electronic surveillance, or armed reconnaissance, or just upgraded to current flight standards where new equipment is added to the aircraft that significantly increases the heat load on the air conditioning system. These factors dictate the need for high-, middle-, and low-end solutions to deliver the increased cooling capacity required at a price each user can afford. This paper will recap the evolution of the C-130 environmental control system (ECS) to date, summarize current improvement efforts, and suggest future ECS developments.