Military Aviation on Instagram: "Jet assisted take off (JATO) was employed on the C-130 Hercules to enable operations from short, rough, or high altitude airstrips where conventional take off performance was limited. By fitting disposable rocket units to the aircraft’s fuselage, the Hercules could generate a brief but powerful thrust boost during take-off, allowing it to lift heavy loads from confined or austere runways. JATO proved especially valuable during Cold War and humanitarian operations