The crew of a C-130 Hercules plane of the U.S. air force on Tuesday offered reporters a tour of the aircraft parked in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang after completing a humanitarian mission, local media said.

>> An audio version of the story is available here The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City invited a number of Vietnamese reporters to a session that introduced the features of the C-130 Hercules aircraft coded 1459 at Da Nang International Airport, according to Infonet, the  news website of the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications. The turboprop military transport aircraft is 29.3 meters long and 11.9 meters tall, and has a wingspan of 39.7 meters, Tuoi Tre Online said. It has four Allison T56-A-15 propeller jet engines with a capacity of 4,591 HP and can fly at 366 kph in all weather conditions, the newswire added. This kind of plane is mainly used to transport people and cargo for the U.S. army. The crew members introduced to Vietnamese correspondents the features and operational ability of the plane that can be used in humanitarian and disaster relief activities. This plane can even act as a mini-clinic to provide medical aid, Infonet said.

Crew members of the C-130 Hercules present the plane's features to Vietnamese reporters. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The chief pilot of the plane, Major Jon Locklear, said the aircraft can carry 92 passengers and 60 paratroopers, and have 72 stretchers for patients, according to Infonet. The plane is slated to leave Da Nang to return to the U.S. on Wednesday. The U.S. air force now has 428 planes of this kind in total, Infonet said.

The C-130 Hercules plane took part in humanitarian assistance operations as part of the Operation Pacific Angel (PACANGEL) 15-3 jointly conducted by the United States and Vietnam in central Quang Ngai Province from March 23 to 30. PACANGEL is a total force, joint and combined humanitarian assistance operation led by the U.S.’s Pacific Air Forces, according to the U.S. Pacific Command (U.S. PACOM). PACANGEL 15-3 included general health, dental, optometry, pediatrics and engineering programs, as well as various subject-matter expert exchanges, the U.S. PACOM said. PACANGEL enhances participating nations’ humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities, according to the U.S. PACOM.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!