Primary Role: Strategic Airlift/Staff Transport Derived from Boeing’s prototype 707 jet airliner in the early 1950s, the versatile C-135 has been a visible fixture of the U.S. Air Force since the first one was acquired in August 1956. Although most of the 820 units were developed as KC-135A Stratotankers for the air refueling mission, they have …
Overview The Boeing 377SG Super Guppy flew for the first time on 31 August 1965. Without the Super Guppy, the only other way to get NASA’s Apollo rocket stages from California to Florida was on a slow boat through the Panama Canal. The Super Guppy cut not just days, but weeks and months out of …
Mission The V-22 Osprey is a medium lift, multi-mission, vertical/short takeoff and landing (V/STOL), tilt-rotor aircraft developed by Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing to fill joint service combat operational requirements for the year 2001 and beyond. The V-22 operates as a helicopter when taking off and landing vertically. The nacelles rotate 90 degrees forward once …
Overview In December of 1965, the USAF began Project Black Spot. This test program was designed to give the Air Force a self-contained night attack capability to seek out and destroy targets along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. In early-1966, the concept was approved by the Department of Defense and two Fairchild C-123K Providers (#54-691 and #54-698) were …
Mission The Fairchild AC-119G/K is a fixed-wing, side-firing aerial gunship that provides close air support in defense of ground positions, armed reconnaissance and interdiction, and forward air controlling for fighter strikes. In Southeast Asia, AC-119Gs mainly flew fire support and air base defense missions, while the AC-119Ks were employed almost exclusively to destroy targets along …
Mission The Lockheed AC-130H/U is a fixed-wing, side-firing aerial gunship that provides close air support, air interdiction and force protection. Close air support missions include troops in contact, convoy escort and urban operations. Air interdiction missions are conducted against preplanned targets or targets of opportunity. Force protection missions include air base defense and facilities defense. Secondary missions include armed reconnaissance, forward …
Mission The Douglas AC-47D is a fixed-wing, side-firing aerial gunship that provides close air support in defense of ground positions, escort and patrol, pre-planned strikes against suitable targets, and forward air controlling for fighter strikes. Background In the early-1960s, the Air Force Systems Command began experimenting with fixed-wing, side-firing weapons systems for possible use in …
Overview The Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was the largest and heaviest twin-engine aircraft to see service with the USAAF. It gained its greatest fame in airlifting supplies over “the Hump” (the Himalaya Mountains) in the China-Burma-India (CBI) theater in World War II, although it saw action in every theater. The Commando began its career as a …
Overview The C-160 Transall first flew in 1963. Production was completed in 1972, but in 1977 the program was reinstated to produce a “new generation” C-160 for France. The last of these new generation aircraft entered service in 1987. The wings are high-mounted and equally tapered outboard of the two turboprop engines, which are mounted …
Overview The C-23B Sherpa, based on the Shorts 330 regional airliner which first flew on 22 August 1974, is a light military transport aircraft designed to operate efficiently, even under the most arduous conditions, in a wide range of mission configurations. The large square-section cargo hold, with excellent access at both ends, offers ready flexibility …
