Overview The C-12 Huron, an executive passenger and cargo aircraft, is the military version of the Beech Model 200 Super King Air. The prefix “Super” was later dropped by Raytheon (who had acquired Beechcraft) in 1996. The aircraft is a high-performance, twin-engine turboprop that accommodates a pilot, co-pilot, and eight passengers. It first flew on …
Mission The S-3B Viking is an all weather, carrier-based jet aircraft, providing protection against hostile surface combatants while also functioning as the Carrier Battle Groups’ primary overhead/mission tanker. Extremely versatile, the aircraft is equipped for many missions, including day/night surveillance, electronic countermeasures, command/control/communications warfare, and search and rescue (SAR). Background Derived from the S-3A and …
Mission Four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft. Background In February 1959, the Navy awarded Lockheed a contract to develop a replacement for the aging P2V Neptune. The P3V Orion, derived from Lockheed’s successful L188 Electra airliner, entered the inventory in July 1962, and more than 30 years later it remains the Navy’s sole land-based …
Mission Four-engine turboprop signals intelligence (SIGINT) reconnaissance aircraft. Background During the 1990s twelve P-3Cs were converted to EP3-E ARIES II to replace older versions of the aircraft. The original ARIES I aircraft were converted in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The last EP-3E ARIES II aircraft was delivered in 1997. EP-3Es have been heavily …
Mission The Lockheed C-141B Starlifter fulfills the vast spectrum of airlift requirements through its ability to transport combat forces over long distances, inject those forces and their equipment either by airland or airdrop, resupply employed forces, and extract the sick and wounded from the hostile area to advanced medical facilities. Background President John F. Kennedy’s …
Overview Howard Hughes was one of the driving forces behind the design of the Lockheed Constellation commercial transport. During WWII, the USAAF purchased 22 early model Constellations which were designated as C-69s. At the end of the war, the USAAF decided to standardize on the Douglas C-54 as its four-engined transport of choice, and promptly …
Mission The C-9A Nightingale demonstrates its uniqueness and versatility daily by its ability to serve not only military, but Department of Veterans Affairs and civilian hospitals throughout the world, using military and commercial airfields. It is the only aircraft in the USAF inventory specifically designed for the movement of litter and ambulatory patients. Background Experience …
Overview Conceived as an air transport for American ICBMs, the C-133 Cargomaster was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company and first flown on 23 April 1956. It was the second and largest turboprop transport to be accepted by the U.S. Air Force. The C-133 was designed to meet the requirements for the USAF’s Logistic Carrier …
Overview The Air Force’s long-range airlifter that performed yeoman service through two wars and nearly 25 years, the C-124, nicknamed “Old Shakey,” was a major redesign of the C-74 Globemaster that was developed at the end of World War II. The C-124 used the same wings, tail, and engines as the C-74. To facilitate outsized cargo handling, …
Overview The C-118 (designated as R6D by the U.S. Navy) was a military variation of the Douglas DC-6 commercial airliner. In 1947, USAAF officials ordered 166 aircraft to support operations of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS). The 29th production DC-6 was designated as VC-118 and modified to replace the aging C-54C “Sacred Cow” Presidential aircraft. It …
