The Lockheed LC-130 is a ski-equipped United States Air Force variant of the C-130 Hercules used in the Arctic and Antarctic. Ten are currently in service with the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard. [1]

Mar 10, 2025 · Based on Lockheed’s prolific C-130 Hercules transport, the LC-130 is the largest ski-equipped tactical aircraft in the world, according to the US Air Force (USAF). The type uses Teflon-coated...

The LC-130H is a ski-equipped, Arctic-support derivative of the C-130H. It is capable of direct resupply of Antarctic research stations and high-arctic radar sites utilizing ice and snowpack runways. The LC-130H fleet supports the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Antarctic research, ferrying much of the material, provisions, and personnel ...

Mar 11, 2025 · The Air Force’s LC-130 touched down on freshwater ice for the first time in decades, signaling the service’s leap in flexibility for “defensive or offensive operations” in the Arctic, according to a USAF official.

Feb 16, 2022 · Also called the ‘Skibird,’ the Air Force’s LC-130 is the largest ski-equipped aircraft in the world, and it regularly flies resupply missions to science stations in Antarctica and Greenland. The...

There are only 10 LC-130s in the world, and all are owned by the U.S. Air Force (New York Air National Guard 109th Airlift Wing). These aircraft support science and national interests across both poles.

Mar 9, 2025 · The LC-130 is the only ski-equipped aircraft in the U.S. military capable of conducting large-scale airlift missions in Antarctica, the Arctic, and other extreme cold-weather environments.

Mar 7, 2025 · The LC-130’s flown by the 109th Airlift Wing are the largest tactical aircraft in the world with the ability to land on snow and ice using skis. NEWS INFO. Date Taken: 03.07.2025 ...

LC-130s are specially modified with a wheel/ski landing gear configuration for operation in Arctic and Antarctic regions. Originally built for the U.S. Navy, most of these C-130 variants are being handed over to the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing.

A LC-130 Hercules assigned to the 109th AW retrieves cargo from Parsons Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada, March 5, 2025. The LC-130s are the largest tactical aircraft in the world, with the ability to land on snow and ice using skis.