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| Lockheed
C-141 Starlifter |
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The C-141B
Starlifter is the "workhorse" of the Air Mobility
Command. The 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 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
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 first C-141B was received by the Air Force
in December 1979. Conversion from A to B models was completed in
1982.
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