Difference between MC-130 and HC-130?

So my unit used to operate the MC-130P and have now upgraded to HC-130J. Being a rescue unit having the HC-130 makes sense since the H designation was built for search and rescue and the M designation I believe is for special missions. I asked the crew chief what exactly were the differences physically between the HC-130 and the MC-130 that sets them apart and he was unable to tell me.

Now I do know the MC-130 dud used to have a different kind of nose which was a bit longer and stubby but somewhere along the line it changed to the standard nose we see on all C-130s

Moffett had MC-P but they just did rescue. The designation was just MC-P because of the very slight mod differences it had.

Differences between HC-J and MC-J are minor at this point, just avionics and electronic mod differences so far. Structurally they are the same plane and have very little physical differences.

5 years from now they will be vastly different from each other.

HC have LARS. SACU

MC have AFSOC specific avionics mods coming that will make the planes capabilities vastly different from HC and will physically look much different.

They come down the assembly line at Lockheed in same configuration, once they get to ACC and AFSOC, they start becoming different from the unit mods installed. Moody has the most modified HCs at this point and Hurlburt test unit has the most modified MCs

Moffett had MC-P but they just did rescue. The designation was just MC-P because of the very slight mod differences it had.

Differences between HC-J and MC-J are minor at this point, just avionics and electronic mod differences so far. Structurally they are the same plane and have very little physical differences.

5 years from now they will be vastly different from each other.

HC have LARS. SACU

MC have AFSOC specific avionics mods coming that will make the planes capabilities vastly different from HC and will physically look much different.

They come down the assembly line at Lockheed in same configuration, once they get to ACC and AFSOC, they start becoming different from the unit mods installed. Moody has the most modified HCs at this point and Hurlburt test unit has the most modified MCs

Interesting and thanks for the reply. So legacy models were different structurally and internally while the J models are mainly different internally?

Also might I ask what is LARS and SACU? And which one has which?

If your unit has HC-Js just ask around your unit.

Both are added mods after factory so your unit might have not installed them yet.