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U. S.
Military Aircraft |
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At the beginning of the 1950s the availability of powerful turboprops and the proved need for heavy transport persuaded the US Air Force to plan a new logistic plane. the resulting C-133A first flew in April 1956 with a high wing and main landing gear units retracting into external fuselage blisters to leave the hold unobstructed. The first 32 aircraft had a two section rear door, the lower unit forming a ramp, while the last three had clamshell doors increasing usable hold length by 3 ft. to allow carriage of the Atlas ICBM or the Thor and Jupiter IRBMs The first C-133As had 5,700-ehp T34-P3 engines, while later machines were fitted with 7,100-eph T34-P-7Ws Finally there were 15 C-133B transport with clamshell rear doors but with more powerful engines. The 50 aircraft proved invaluable in the first part of the Vietnam War, but were retired in 1971. some aircraft were later released into the civil market. |
TECHNICAL DATA
| Description | Performance |
| Manufacturer: Douglas |
Length: 157 ft 6.5 in. |
| First Flight: April 1956 | Height: 48 ft. 3. in. |
| Model: B | Wing Span: 179 ft 7.75 in. |
| Crew: Five | Wing Area: 2,673.0 sq. ft. |
| Nickname: Cargomaster | Empty Weight: 120,263 lb. |
| Basic Role: Heavy logistic freight transport. | Max. Weight: 286,000 lb. |
| Other Versions: C-133A initial model and C-133B more power. | Payload: 110,000 lb of freight. |
| Principal User: U. S. A. |
Propulsion |
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Specifications |
Power Plant: Pratt & Whitney T34-P-9W turboprops. |
| Range: 4,000 + miles. | Horsepower: 7,000-ehp. |
| Max. Speed: 359 mph. | No. Of Engines: Four |
| Ceiling: 29,950 ft. | |
| Climb Rate: 1,280 ft. per min. |