The mission that the C-130 performs changed significantly in its first 20 years.<p>It was shoe-horned into tactical airlift in Vietnam when the C-123 was withdrawn. Despite how it its viewed today that was never its intended mission and several aspects of the design ( in-line undercarriage wheels, narrowing centre cabin ) make it less than suitable.  It was designed for medium-haul MAC trash-hauling, not tactical landings on forward strips.  But it was available when a need arose and the role stuck because there was nothing else appropriate.<p>The Transall was a proper tactical airlifter with low ground pressure,high sink-rate and kneeling undercarriage.  But the USAF would never buy it.  The French, Turks and South Africans used both types simultaneously to complement each other.<p>Today we see the C-17 being pushed the other way, as a pseudo-strategic airlifter with horrendous  inefficiencies.