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C-47




The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or '''Dakota''' was a military transport that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner.


HISTORY

During World War II , the armed forces of many countries used the C-47 and modified DC-3s for the transport of troops, cargo and wounded. Over 10,000 aircraft were produced in Long Beach and Santa Monica, California and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma . The C-47 was vital to the success of many Allied campaigns, in particular those in the jungles of New Guinea and during Burma Campaign where the C-47 (and its naval version, the R4D) alone made it possible for Allied troops to counter the mobility of the light-travelling Japanese army. But possibly its most influential role in military aviation was flying The Hump from India into China where the expertise gain would later be used in the Berlin Airlift in which the C-47 would also play its part.

In Europe, the C-47 and a specialized paratroop variant, the C-53 Skytrooper, were used in vast numbers in the later stages of the war, particularly to tow Gliders and drop paratroops. In the Pacific, with careful use of the island landing strips of the Pacific Ocean, C-47s were even used for ferrying soldiers serving in the Pacific theater back to the US.

C-47s in British and Commonwealth service took the name Dakota. The C-47 also earned the nickname "Gooney Bird" during the European theater of operations.

After World War II the U.S. Navy also structurally modified a number of the early Navy R4D aircraft and re-designated the modified aircraft as R4D-8. The Air Force also continued to use the C-47 for various roles, including the AC-47 gunships - code named 'Puff the Magic Dragon' or 'Spooky' - and the EC-47 for counterintelligence during the Vietnam War .


VARIANTS

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  • C-47 - Initial military version of DC-3.

  • C-47A - 24-volt electrical system replacing the 12-volt of the C-47.

  • C-47B - R-1830-90 engines with superchargers and extra fuel capacity to cover the China - Burma - India routes.

  • C-47D - C-47B with superchargers removed after the war.

  • C-48 to '''C-52''' - various DC-3s pressed into military service.

  • C-53 - US Army passenger version of the C-47.



UNITS USING THE C-47 OR MILITARIZED DC-3


United States Army Air Force

Flown by the 438th Troop Carrier Group (87th, 88th, 89th, and 90th Troop Carrier Squadrons) of the 53rd Troop Carrier Wing. The 438th TCG was the lead TCG in the airborne invasion of Normandy June 6, 1944.


Royal Air Force



South African Air Force



Greek Air Force



DOUGLAS DC-3, DAKOTA, C-47 SKYTRAIN AND LISUNOV LI-2 CAB OPERATORS

  • Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, China, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, France, Finland, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Laos, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauretania, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Vietnam, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Papa New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Rhodesia, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, South Africa, South Korea, South Vietnam, Somalia, Soviet Union, Sri Lanka, Spain, Sweden, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Uganda, Uruguay, United Kingdom, United States (Army Air Corps, Army Air Force, Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy), Venezuela, Vietnam, Yeman, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia,



SPECIFICATIONS (C-47B)


  plane Or Copter plane
  jet Or Prop prop
  crew 3
  capacity 28 troops or 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) of cargo
  length Main 63 ft 9 in
  length Alt 1943 m
  span Main 95 ft 6 in
  span Alt 2911 m
  height Main 17 ft
  height Alt 518 m
  area Main 987 ft&2
  area Alt 9170 m&2
  empty Weight Main 18,135 lb
  empty Weight Alt 8,225 kg
  loaded Weight Main 26,000 lb
  loaded Weight Alt 11,800 kg
  max Takeoff Weight Main 31,000 lb
  max Takeoff Weight Alt 14,100 kg
  engine (prop) Pratt & Whitney R-1830 -90C Twin Wasp
  type Of Prop 14-cylinder Radial Engine s
  number Of Props 2
  power Main 1,200 hp
  power Alt 895 kW
  max Speed Main 224 mph
  max Speed Alt 360 km/h
  cruise Speed Main 160 mph
  cruise Speed Alt 257 km/h
  range Main 1,600 miles
  range Alt 2,575 km
  ceiling Main 26,400 ft
  ceiling Alt 8045 m
  climb Rate Main 1,130 ft/min
  climb Rate Alt 575 m/s
  loading Main 263 lb/ft&2
  loading Alt 1286 kg/m&2
  power/mass Main 009 lb/hp
  power/mass Alt 015 kg/kW



REFERENCES


  • Francillon, RenĂ© (1979). ''McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920: Volume I.'' London: Putnam. ISBN 0-87021-428-4

  • Yenne, Bill (1985). ''McDonnell Douglas: A Tale of Two Giants.'' Greenwich, CT: Bison Books. ISBN 0-517-442876



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