The C-141 Starlifter fulfills the vast spectrum of airlift requirements through its ability to airlift combat forces over long distances, deliver those forces and their equipment either by air, land or airdrop, resupply forces, and transport the sick and wounded from the hostile area to advanced medical facilities.
The C-141B is a "stretched" C-141A with in-flight refueling capability. The stretching of the Starlifter consisted of lengthening the planes 23 feet 4 inches (7.11 meters). The added length increased the C-141 cargo capacity by about one-third, for an extra 2,171 cubic feet (62.03 cubic meters). The lengthening of the aircraft had the same overall effect as increasing the number of aircraft by 30 percent. The C-141A, built between 1963 and 1967, was AMC's first jet aircraft designed to meet military standards as a troop and cargo carrier. The development of the B model was the most cost-effective method of increasing AMC's airlift capability. The C-141C includes the addition of advanced avionics.
A universal air refueling receptacle on the C-141, with the ability to transfer 23,592 gallons (89,649.6 liters) in about 26 minutes, means longer non-stop flights and fewer fuel stops at overseas bases during worldwide airlift missions.
With more than 40 years of service and nearly nine million flying hours, the C-141 force has a proven reliability and long-range capability. In addition to training, worldwide airlift and combat support, the C-141 has amassed a laudatory record in response to humanitarian crises.
The C-141, with its changeable cargo compartment, can transition from rollers on the floor for palletized cargo to a smooth floor for wheeled vehicles to aft facing seats or sidewall canvas seats for passengers, quickly and easily, to handle over 30 different missions.
The first C-141A, delivered to Tinker AFB, Okla., in October 1964, began squadron operations in April 1965. The C-141 was the first jet transport from which U.S. Army paratroopers jumped, and the first to land in the Antarctic. The first C-141B was received by the Air Force in December 1979. Conversion from A to B models was completed in 1982. Conversion to the C-models began in 1997 and was completed in 2001.
The last active-duty C-141B retired Sept. 16, 2004, at McGuire AFB, N.J. AMC began transferring C-141s to the Air Reserve and Air National Guard forces in July 1986. There are 20 Reserve C-141C's are stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, and March Air Reserve Base, Calif.
The C-141 continues to be a valuable asset to military aeromedical evacuation and airlift. The C-141's capabilities help enable AMC to meet any commitment anywhere national interest dictates.
Several C-141s have been modified to carry the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile in its special container, up to a total weight of 92,000 pounds (41,400 kilograms). Some C-141s have been equipped with intraformation positioning sets that enable a flight of two to 36 aircraft to maintain formation regardless of visibility. The C-141 was the first jet transport from which U.S. Army paratroopers jumped, and the first to land in the Antarctic. A C-141 established a world record for heavy cargo drops of 70,195 pounds (31,587.7 kilograms).In 2004, the last two Lockheed Martin C-141 StarLifters assigned to the 305th Air Mobility Wing (AMW) were retired, closing out the turbofan powered airlifter's historic 39 year career with the active duty component of the U.S. Air Force. Crews from two Air Force Reserve Command units, the 452nd AMW at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., and the 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, will continue to fly the C-141 until the summer of 2006, when the very last StarLifter is scheduled to be retired.
The first flight of the first C-141A (there was no prototype) came at the then Lockheed Georgia Co. facility in Marietta, Ga., on December 17, 1963, the 60th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first powered flight. The StarLifter entered Air Force service at Tinker AFB, Okla., in April 1965. The first modified aircraft, redesignated C-141B, was flown in 1977 from Marietta and the modification program, which also included provisions for aerial refueling, ran until 1983.
In August of 1965, the first C-141 missions were flown to Vietnam. The C- 141A aircraft were capable of carrying either 138 troops or approximately 62,000 pounds of cargo, reducing to 36 hours what had been a 72-hour trip with stops from Travis AFB, Calif., to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, in a C-124, the C-141's piston-powered predecessor.
Most recently, StarLifter crews flew suspected terrorists to the detainment facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and have borne the brunt of aeromedical evacuation flights from the Middle East and later iraq since Operation Iraqi Freedom began last year.
Power Plant: Four Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-7 turbofan engines
Thrust: 20,250 pounds, each engine
Wingspan: 160 feet (48.7 meters)
Length: 168 feet, 4 inches (51 meters
Height: 39 feet, 3 inches (11.9 meters)
Cargo Compartment: Height, 9 feet 1 inch (2.77 meters); length, 93 feet 4 inches (28.45 meters); width, 10 feet 3 inches (3.12 meters)
Cargo Door: width, 10.25 feet (3.12 meters); height, 9.08 feet (2.76 meters)
Speed: 500 mph (Mach 0.74) at 25,000 feet
Ceiling: 41,000 feet (12,496 meters) at cruising speed
Range: Unlimited with in-flight refueling
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 323,100 lbs (146,863 kilograms)
Load: Either 200 troops, 155 paratroops, 103 litters and 14 seats, or 68,725 lbs (31,239 kilograms) of cargo
Unit Cost: $47.4 million (fiscal 2002 constant dollars)
Crew: Five or six: two pilots, two flight engineers and one loadmaster and one navigator (added for airdrops). Aeromedical teams are two flight nurses and three medical technicians each are added for aeromedical evacuation missions.
Date Deployed: C-141A: October 1964; C-141B: December 1979; C-141C: October 1997.
Inventory: Active duty, 0; Air Force Reserve, 20