C-23 Sherpa | |
---|---|
A USAF C-23A Sherpa over then West Germany in 1985 | |
Role | Military transport aircraft |
National origin | United Kingdom |
Manufacturer | Short Brothers |
First flight | 23 December 1982 |
Introduction | 1985 |
Primary users | United States Army United States Air Force |
Developed from | Short 330, Short 360 |
The Short C-23 Sherpa is a small military transport aircraft built by Short Brothers. The C-23A and C-23B variants are variants of the Short 330 and the C-23B+ and C-23C are variants of the Short 360.
Design and development[]
The Short 330 was developed by Short Brothers of Belfast from Short's earlier Short Skyvan STOL utility transport. The 330 had a longer wingspan and fuselage than the Skyvan, while retaining the Skyvan's square shaped fuselage cross section, allowing it to carry up to 30 passengers while retaining good short field characteristics.[1] The 330 entered commercial service in 1976.
In addition to the passenger aircraft, Shorts also planned two freight versions. The first of these, the Short 330-UTT (for Utility Tactical Transport) was a military transport version fitted with a strengthened cabin floor, and paratroop doors,[2] which was sold in small numbers, primarily to Thailand, who purchased four. The Short Sherpa (not to be confused with the earlier Short SB.4 Sherpa experimental aircraft) was a freighter fitted with a full width rear cargo door/ramp. This version first flew on 23 December 1982,[2] with the first order for 18 aircraft being placed by the United States Air Force in March 1983. These aircraft were assigned to Military Airlift Command (MAC) for the European Distribution System Aircraft (EDSA) role, flying cargo and personnel between US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) air bases.[2] In U.S. military service, the Short 330 was designated the C-23A Sherpa. The C-23B Sherpa was similar to the C-23A, but with cabin windows.[3] The C-23B+ and C-23C Short 360 derivatives were created by replacing the rear fuselage of Short 360s obtained on the second-hand market with the twin tail and rear loading ramp of the Short Sherpa. The C-23 was produced at the Short Brothers' facility in Belfast, Northern Ireland for the U.S. Dept. of Defense.[4]
Operational history[]
The C-23A Sherpa entered USAF service in 1985[4] and continuing in use in the EDSA role until 1990, when the EDSA role was disbanded. Six aircraft were passed to the United States Army, where they were used to support the Army National Guard, joining 10 new build C-23B Sherpa aircraft.[3] Other variants are C-23B+ and C-23C. The C-23 replaced the UV-18 Twin Otter in U.S. service. The C-23 is the only cargo plane operated by the U.S Army.[4]
During Iraq War, 2003–present, the C-23 has served the Army's intra-theater needs of cargo and personnel transport. It provides an economic alternative for transporting some 20 people or 3 pallets of cargo when speed is not critical.[5]
On 13 June 2007, the Alenia C-27J was selected to replace the C-23 in US Army service.[6][7] A total of 43 C-23s were in service with the US Army as of November 2008.[8]
Variants[]
- C-23A Sherpa
- Twin-engined transport aircraft for the US Air Force, fitted with a strengthened cabin floor with a roller conveyor system, plus a forward cargo door on the port side of the fuselage, equipped with a hydraulically operated full-width rear cargo door/ramp; 18 built.
- C-23B Sherpa
- Twin-engined transport aircraft for the US Army National Guard, similar to the C-23A, but fitted cabin windows; 16 built.
- C-23B+/C Super Sherpa
- Short 360 aircraft purchased as second-hand aircraft by the US Army and modified by The West Virginia Air Center (WVAC) by the replacement of the rear fuselage of the Short 360, with its single tall fin, with the twin tail and rear loading ramp of the Short Sherpa.[9]
Operators[]
- United States Air Force
- United States Army
- Army National Guard
- Era Alaska
- NASA
Specifications[]
C-23A[]
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1988-1989[2]
General characteristics
- Crew: Three (Two pilots plus one cabin crew)
- Capacity: 30 passengers, or 18 Litter based passengers
- Length: 58 ft 0 in (17.69 m)
- Wingspan: 74 ft 9 in (22.78 m)
- Height: 16 ft 3 in (4.95 m)
- Wing area: 453 ft² (42.1 m²)
- Airfoil: NACA 63 series, modified
- Empty weight: 14,200 lb (6,440 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 22,900 lb (10,387 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45-R turboprops, 1,198 hp (894 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 281 mph (245 knots, 453 km/h) at 12,000 ft (2,273 m)
- Cruise speed: 255 mph (221 knots, 410 km/h)
- Stall speed: 85 mph (73 knots, 136 km/h) with flaps and landing gear down
- Range: 770 mi (915 nm, 1,239 km)passenger version, 1,966 kg payload with no reserves
- Service ceiling: 27,000 ft (5,114 m)
- Rate of climb: 2,100 ft/min (60 m/s)
- Wing loading: 50.6 lb/ft² (247 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.052 hp/lb (170 W/kg)
C-23B/C[]
Data from U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947[10]
General characteristics
- Crew: Three (Two pilots plus one flight engineer)
- Capacity: 18-20 passengers
- Length: 58 ft 0 in (17.7 m)
- Wingspan: 74 ft 10 in (22.8 m)
- Height: 16 ft 5 in (5.0 m)
- Wing area: 456 ft² (42.4 m²)
- Airfoil: NACA 63 series, modified
- Empty weight: 16,040 lb (7,276 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 25,600 lb (11,610 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AR turboprop, 1,424 shp (1,062 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 291 mph (252 knots, 468 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 262 mph (228 knots, 422 km/h)
- Range: 1,185 mi (1,030 nmi, 1,907 km)
- Service ceiling: 28,000 ft (5,303 m)
See also[]
- Short 330
- Short 360
- Aeritalia G.222
- CASA CN-235
- Let L-410
References[]
- ↑ Donald, David (Editor) (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Aerospace Publishing. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Taylor, JWR (Editor) (1988). Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1988-1989. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Donald, David; Lake, John (editors) (1996). Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft (Single Volume Edition ed.). London: Aerospace Publishing. p. 384. ISBN 1-874023-95-6.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Olive-Drab C-23 page
- ↑ "C-23: A Small Cargo Plane that Makes a Big Difference", Military.com, February 9, 2004.
- ↑ "C-27J Spartan named as Joint Cargo Aircraft". Air Force Link. 2007-06-14. Archived from the original on 2012-05-26. http://archive.is/ySEP. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- ↑ "C-27J tapped for Joint Cargo Aircraft". Air Force Times. 2007-06-14. http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2007/06/defense_JCA_070613/. Retrieved 2007-06-17.
- ↑ "Directory: World Air Forces", Flight International, 11–17 November 2008.
- ↑ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/c-23.htm
- ↑ Harding, Stephen (1997). U.S. Army Aircraft Since 1947. Atglen, Pennsylvania, USA: Schiffer Publishing Ltd.. pp. 224–226. LCCN 96-69996.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to C-23 Sherpa. |
- C-23 Sherpa page on Florida National Guard site
- C-23 page on Global Security.org
- C-23 page on theAviationZone.com
- Short 330 page on Airliners.net
- 10th MAS C-23A Sherpa Zweibrücken AFB reunion website
The original article can be found at Short C-23 Sherpa and the edit history here.