douglas Aircraft
Douglas C-133 Cargomaster
Transport Aircraft
Douglas Aircraft
The Douglas C-133 Cargomaster is an American large turboprop cargo aircraft built between 1956 and 1961 by the Douglas Aircraft Company
Douglas C-133 Cargomaster
The Douglas C-133 Cargomaster is an American large turboprop cargo aircraft built between 1956 and 1961 by the Douglas Aircraft Company for use with the United States Air Force. The C-133 was the USAF’s only production turboprop-powered strategic airlifter, entering service shortly after the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, which is designated as a tactical airlifter. It provided airlift services in a wide range of applications, being replaced by the C-5 Galaxy in the early 1970s.
Design
The C-133 was designed to meet the requirements for the USAF’s Logistic Carrier Support System SS402L for a new strategic transport.[1] The aircraft differed considerably from the C-74 Globemaster and C-124 Globemaster IIs that had preceded it. A high-mounted wing, external blister fairings on each side for the landing gear, and rear-loading and side-loading doors ensured that access to, and the volume of, the large cargo compartment were not compromised by these structures. The cargo compartment (90 ft/27 m in length and 12 ft/3.7 m high) was pressurized, heated, and ventilated.[2]
Douglas Transport
Douglas
| Role | Military transport aircraft |
|---|---|
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Douglas Aircraft Company |
| First flight | 23 April 1956 |
| Retired | 1971 (USAF) |
| Primary users | United States Air Force NASA |
| Produced | 1956–1961 |
| Number built | 50 |
Development
The C-133 was for many years the only USAF aircraft capable of hauling very large or very heavy cargo. Despite the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II‘s capabilities, there was much cargo that it could not carry because of its configuration with a cargo deck 13 ft (4 m) off the ground and its lower, though substantial, engine power. The C-133 continued in service after the formation of the USAFs Military Airlift Command on 1 January 1966.
Specifications (C-133)
General characteristics
- Crew: five (two pilots, navigator, flight engineer, loadmaster)
- Capacity: 200 pax or 110,000 lb (50,000 kg)
- Length: 154 ft 3 in (47.01 m)
- Wingspan: 179 ft 9 in (54.78 m)
- Height: 48 ft 3 in (14.7 m)
- Wing area: 2,673 sq ft (248.3 m2)
- Empty weight: 120,263 lb (54,550 kg)
- Gross weight: 275,000 lb (124,738 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 286,000 lb (129,727 kg)
- Powerplant: 4 × Pratt & Whitney T34-P-9W turboprop engines, 7,500 hp (5,600 kW) each with water injection
- Propellers: 3-bladed Curtiss Electric fully feathering, reversible-pitch propellers.
Performance
- Maximum speed: 312 kn (359 mph, 578 km/h) at 8,700 ft (2,700 m)
- Cruise speed: 281 kn (323 mph, 520 km/h)
- Range: 3,560 nmi (4,100 mi, 6,590 km) with 52,000 lb (24,000 kg) payload
- Service ceiling: 29,950 ft (9,130 m) service ceiling
- Rate of climb: 1,280 ft/min (6.5 m/s)
- Wing loading: 102.9 lb/sq ft (502 kg/m2)
- Power/mass: 0.1087 hp/lb (0.1787 kW/kg)
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Aircrafttoaal encyclopedia
An air force, also known in some countries as an aerospace force or air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare.