Pictured is a Royal Air Force C130J Hercules captured by RAF photographers who were on the ramp of a second C130J.The aircraft were taking part in an airborne delivery training sortie that saw them drop two different loads, ranging in weight from 100 kilograms to a tonne, over Abingdon, Oxfordshire.After completing that part of the sortie, they then linked up to a Voyager to complete some low-light air to air refuelling over the West Coast of England.The Hercules is the RAF’s primary tactical transport aircraft and in its current C.Mk 4 and C.Mk 5 versions of the C-130J-30 and C-130J, respectively, has been the backbone of UK operational tactical mobility tasks since it was brought into service in 1999.It is frequently employed to operate into countries or regions where there is a threat to aircraft; its performance, tactics and defensive systems make it the ideal platform for such tasks.The aircraft is highly flexible, with the ability to airdrop a variety of stores and paratroopers and operate from natural surface landing zones. To conduct these missions, it is vital that Hercules crews are highly skilled in low-level flying.The aircraft performs in the same roles at night using night-vision goggles (NVGs), while station keeping equipment (SKE) enables it to remain in formation during poor weather.Long-range capabilities are enhanced with air-to-air refuelling, while the Air Survival Rescue Apparatus may be mounted in the cabin for search and rescue missions, enabling the Hercules to airdrop life rafts and emergency supplies.