Fairchild C-123 Provider

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_C-123_Provider

The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed
by Chase Aircraft and then built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force.
In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force
Reserve and the Air National Guard, it also went on to serve most notably with
the U.S. Coast Guard and various air forces in Southeast Asia. During the War in
Vietnam, the C-123 was used to deliver supplies, to evacuate the wounded, and
also used to spray Agent Orange.

The C-123 Provider was designed originally as an assault glider aircraft for the
United States Air Force (USAF) by Chase Aircraft as the XCG-20 (Chase
designation MS-8 Avitruc) Two powered variants of the XCG-20 were developed
during the early 1950s, as the XC-123 and XC-123A. The only difference between
the two was the type of engines used. The XC-123 used two Pratt & Whitney
R-2800-23 air-cooled radial piston engines, while the XC-123A was fitted with
four General Electric J47-GE-11 turbojets, in two pods. The XC-123A also has the
distinction, while only experimental, of being the USAF first jet-powered
military transport. While the piston-powered XC-123 was initially well-regarded
for tactical transport for its ruggedness and reliability, and its ability to
operate from short and unimproved airstrips, the turbojet-powered XC-123A –
designed for high-speed transport between USAF bases for critical parts and
personnel – was found unable to operate from short and rough airstrips. There
was also no practical speed advantage due to the wing and fuselage design, and a
drastic reduction in range. Only the one turbojet-powered test and evaluation
version was built.


Role
Military transport aircraft

Manufacturer
Chase Aircraft
Fairchild Aircraft

Designer
Michael Stroukoff

First flight
14 October 1949

Introduction
1956

Retired
United States Air Force c. 1980

Status
Active with flying clubs

Primary users
United States Air Force (historical)
United States Coast Guard (historical)
Republic of Vietnam Air Force (historical)

Produced
1949–1970

Number built
307

Developed from
Chase XCG-20

Variants
Chase XC-123A
Stroukoff YC-134

The first recipients of C-123 aircraft were USAF transport units, soon followed
by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) which used the aircraft for search and rescue
(SAR) missions, and even the U.S. Air Force Demonstration Team, the
"Thunderbirds," used C-123s for a time as a logistics support aircraft for
transporting the team's ground crews and equipment. The type would also be
widely exported under various U.S. military assistance programs, directly from
USAF stocks. A C-123 was used to transport President John F. Kennedy's limousine
during his November, 1963, Texas tour.

The C-123 was nearly ignored by the USAF for service in Vietnam, but a political
rivalry with the U.S. Army and the Army's use of the CV-2 Caribou and later
pre-production order for the de Havilland Canada C-8 Buffalo, led to a decision
to deploy C-123s there. To compete with the well-performing CV-2, the USAF and
Fairchild furthered development on the C-123 to allow it to do similar work on
short runways. This additional development increased the utility of the aircraft
and its variants to allow it to perform a number of unique tasks, including the
HC-123B which operated with the USCG fitted with additional radar equipment for
search and rescue missions through 1971, and the C-123J which was fitted with
retractable skis for operations in Greenland and Alaska on compacted snow
runways.

By 1962, the C-123K variant aircraft was evaluated for operations in Southeast
Asia and their stellar performance led the Air Force to upgrade 180 of the
C-123B aircraft to the new C-123K standard, which featured auxiliary jet pods
underneath the wings, and anti-skid brakes. In 1968, the aircraft helped
resupply troops in Khe Sanh, Vietnam, during a three-month siege by North
Vietnam.

In 1958, the U.S. Coast Guard received its first HC-123B, followed by seven more
in 1961. Installation of a dome on the nose of the aircraft accommodated a large
radar allowing the plane to meet the requirements for search and rescue and long
range flight over water. The Coast Guard manned the aircraft with a crew of
five: two officers serving as the pilot and copilot, augmented by an enlisted
flight mechanic, an enlisted navigator, and an enlisted loadmaster. The
HC-123B's role in the Coast Guard was slowly replaced by the longer-ranged Coast
Guard HC-130 aircraft during the 1960s and 1970s as those newer airframes came
on line.

With the end of the Vietnam War, remaining C-123Ks and UC-123Ks were transferred
to tactical airlift units of the Air Force Reserve (AFRES) and the Air National
Guard (ANG) that were operationally-gained by Tactical Air Command (TAC) before
1975 and Military Airlift Command (MAC) after 1975.

The final examples of the C-123 in active U.S. military service were retired
from the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard in the early 1980s. Some
airframes were transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for test
and evaluation programs while others were transferred to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) for miscellaneous programs. These aircraft were also retired
by the end of the 1990s.

Specifications (C-123K Provider)

General characteristics
Crew: 4
Capacity: 60 passengers, 50 litters, or 24,000 pounds (11,000 kg) of cargo
Length: 76 ft, 3 in (23.25 m)
Wingspan: 110 ft, 0 in (33.53 m)
Height: 34 ft, 1 in (10.39 m)
Wing area: 1,223 ft² (113.7 m²)
Empty weight: 35,366 lb (16,042 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 60,000 lb (27,215 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric J85-GE-17 turbojets, 2,850 lbf (13 kN) each
2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-99W "Double Wasp" 18-cylinder radial engines, 2,500
hp (1,865 kW) each


Performance
Maximum speed: 228 mph (198 knots, 367 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
Cruise speed: 173 mph (150 knots, 278 km/h)
Stall speed: 95 mph (83 knots, 152 km/h)
Range: 1,035 mi (899 nm, 1,666 km) with max payload
Ferry range: 3,280 mi (2,852 nmi, 5,280 km)
Service ceiling: 21,100 ft (6,430 m) "OEO" (One engine failed)
Rate of climb: 1,220 ft/min (6.2 m/s) "OEO" (One engine failed)




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