Photos: From airborne ops to laser gunship

It's hard to imagine a more versatile aircraft than the humble-looking C-130 Hercules (seen here on the runway at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in October 2006), a propeller-driven design from the middle of the 20th century that continues to be reinvented for an era of ever higher, ever fancier tech. The plump airframe carries paratroopers and fire-fighting equipment, hurricane hunters and 105mm cannons. The newest model, the C-130J, comes from the factory with the digital displays characteristic of today's "glass cockpits," while older versions--still logging thousands upon thousands of air miles--are being retrofitted with much the same technology.

Captions by Jonathan Skillings, staff writer, CNET News.com