No. 30 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the second generation C-130J Hercules from RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire. The squadron operates alongside No. 24 Squadron, No. 47 Squadron, and No. 70 Squadron, all flying the Hercules.

History

Today

The RAF transport fleet is in a period of flux and the Hercules C4/C5 fleet is a major part of this. The RAF ordered 25 of the aircraft with first deliveries in 1999. The first generation Hercules C1/C3 fleet is due to be replaced by 25 Airbus A400Ms at which time RAF Lyneham will close. This will see RAF's transport aircraft concentrated at RAF Brize Norton with the C-17 and tanker fleets.

Aircraft operated

• Farman Longhorn 1915

• Farman Shorthorn 1915-1916

• Voisin LA.S 1915

• Henry Farman F27 1915

• Caudron G.3 1915

• Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 1915-1917

• Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 1917-19

• Airco D.H.9 1921-1929

• Westland Wapiti 1929-1935

• Hawker Hardy 1935-1938

• Bristol Blenheim 1938-1941

• Hawker Hurricane 1941-1944

• Republic Thunderbolt 1944-1946

• Hawker Tempest F2 1946

• Douglas Dakota 1947-1950

• Vickers Valetta 1950-1957

• Blackburn Beverley 1957-1967

• Lockheed Hercules 1968-present

Battle honours

On the squadron standard
Egypt, 1915: Mesopotamia, 1915-1918: Egypt & Libya, 1940-1942: Greece 1940-1941, Mediterranean, 1940-1941, Ceylon April, 1942: Arakan, 1944: Burma 1944-1945 Others
Iraq, 1919-1920: North West Persia, 1920: Kurdistan, 1922-1924: Iraq, 1923-1925: Iraq, 1928-1929: Kurdistan, 1930-1931: Northern Kurdistan, 1932: Gulf, 1991