A review of the history of the Lockheed C-141 transport aircraft
The development of the C-141 Starlifte transport aircraft was the wish of Lieutenant General William Turner of the U.S. Army, who served as a commander in the "Hump" American forces. The aircraft later became the main force of the Military Airlift Command, which later became the Air Mobility Command (AMC).
In 1960, the U.S. Congress allocated $200 million to the Air Force to purchase or modify existing airlift aircraft. On November 15, the final version of the aircraft was determined. On December 21 of that year, the proposal was sent to Boeing, Douglas, Cornwell, and Lockheed Georgia.
Lockheed won the contract with the advantage of production experience. On March 13 of the following year, President John F. Kennedy announced that Lockheed Aircraft had won the bid. Kennedy ordered the development of the C-141A all-jet transport aircraft to expand the nation's military airlift capabilities. The new Lockheed aircraft is easy to maintain, efficient to load and has relatively short landing times. Powered by four Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-7 turbofan engines, the C-141A weighs 134,200 pounds, can carry 70,000 pounds of cargo or 154 soldiers, and can fly up to 500 miles per hour. It can transport nearly 4,000 miles of 63,000 pounds of cargo without refueling. The C-141 performs more than 30 different tasks, with an adjustable cargo compartment that can transition from floor rollers, a loading floor for palletized cargo to wheeled vehicles, and a rearward or side-wall canvas seat for passengers. It can even store tray-style toilets and kitchens. In its aeromedical evacuation role, the Starlifter floor carries 103 bedridden patients, 113 ambulatory patients, or a combination of both. The "T-tail" of this type of transport aircraft has significant aerodynamic advantages compared to conventional designs. The relatively high position of the horizontal tail provides undisturbed airflow under normal cruising conditions, maximizing stability and control.
The first production aircraft was produced from the Lockheed plant on August 22, 1963, and the Air Force took delivery six days later. Test flight work began on December 17, 1963. The last production models ended on February 27, 1968. By early 1970, a total of 276 C-141As had been delivered to the Air Force, four with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and four National Weather Service. The first Air Force C-141A arrived at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, in October 1964 and entered service in April 1965. The transport plane flies to Vietnam almost daily, carrying troops, equipment and supplies, and returning to pick up patients to American hospitals. In 1968 alone, 256 C-141As carried 82.3-2,724,473,575 tons of military cargo. The C-141A was the first U.S. Army jet transport aircraft to parachute missions and the first transport aircraft to land in Antarctica. In October 1973, one of the plane's shortcomings nearly cost the United States Israel, the Middle East's most important ally. As the United States was prepared to send supplies to the Israeli forces participating in the Yom Kippur War, but due to various obstacles, it could only force a landing in Portugal, this incident indicated the need for the transport aircraft to have an aerial refueling capability. In April 1977, Warner Robbins Air Force Officer Logistics Center (WR-ALC) at Robbins Air Force Base, Georgia, turned to Lockheed again for modifications of the aircraft. The U.S. Congress provided $641 million for the project, and the two sides ended up with a $458 million retrofit contract, well below expectations. This protocol requires the conversion of the 270 A model to a "stretched" type B.
After two years of development, the YC-141B prototype began production in early 1979. Lockheed housed the production line at its plant in Marietta, Georgia, where employees separated the wings front and rear, adding a 160-inch front plug and a 120-inch rear plug, making the plane 23-foot, 4-inch longer. This increased its freight capacity from 7,019 cubic feet to 9,190 cubic feet, equivalent to a fraction of the price. Lockheed also added a universal aerial refueling container, which facilitates long-term uninterrupted airlift missions. The C-141 transport aircraft flew 7 million flight hours from 1982 to 2006. From the first Starlifter to the last (serial number 65-0248) the WR-ALC completed maintenance of the C-141 on October 16, 2003. Under the new configuration, the C-141 continued the low-altitude transport of personnel and equipment, as well as the high-altitude transport of paratrooper troops, retaining the ability to airdrop equipment and supplies using container delivery systems. It is the first design-compatible 463L material handling system that allows loading, unloading, unloading, and refueling in less than an hour for loading and unloading 68,000 pounds of cargo. In the fall of 1990, at the start of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, a C-141B Carolina from the 437th Military Airlift Wing at South Charleston Air Force Base was the first U.S. aircraft to arrive in Saudi Arabia. During the war, 7,047 of the 15,800 airlift missions were performed for the C-141. More than 41,400 passengers and 139,600 tons of cargo were transported. After the war, Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Reserve (AFRC) units also received the C-141. The Air Force Reserve, through its affiliates, is equipped with 50 percent Starlifter crew, 84 percent maintenance capacity, and more than 30 percent AMC for peacetime missions. In the 1990s, Aircraft Structural Integrity Program experts at Robbins Air Force Base realized that cracks in the lower wing panels were made by a stretching process that could affect flight safety. It was then replaced in 1990 by the C17 transport aircraft due to wing cracks.
The Douglas C-47 light rail first flew on December 23, 1941, and became the main force of the Army Air Force and American Air Force throughout World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
A mainstay of cargo transportation for the U.S. Air Force, the Lock-heed C-130 has been in continuous production since its inception and first flew on August 23, 1954. Offering many services worldwide, Hercules has proven to be one of the most versatile aircraft.
Lockheed-Georgia competes with Boeing, Douglas and Cornwell for logistics and transportation support. Port System 476L contract. Lockheed's scheme won, internally known as GL-207-45 Super Hercules, and received the Air Force's designated C-141 Starlifter
One of the most unique designs proposed by Lockheed–Georgia under the SOR-182 is this 4-engine layout designated GL-268-1. Propulsion is powered by 4 experimental MF-239c-3 jet engines.
The first YC-141A was launched at Lockheed Georgia's august 22, 1963 facility in Marietta. The VIP events attended included senators, members of Congress, senior officials from all services, including President John F. Kennedy's speech at the White House. Note the comparison of the C-47 and C-130 in the background of the photo.