McDonnell Douglas C-9
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| C-9 Skytrain II/Nightingale | |
|---|---|
 A US Navy C-9A Skytrain II |
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| Type | Jet transport |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell Douglas |
| Introduced | 1968 |
| Retired | September 2005 (USAF) |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | United States Air Force United States Navy |
| Number built | 48 |
| Developed from | McDonnell Douglas DC-9 |
The McDonnell Douglas C-9 is a military version of the DC-9. It was produced as the C-9A Nightingale for the United States Air Force, and the C-9B Skytrain II for the U.S. Naval Reserve and Marine Corps. The final active-duty flight of the C-9A Nightingale was in September 2005.[1] The Boeing C-40 Clipper is replacing the Navy Reserve's aging C-9B fleet.[2][3]
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[edit] Design and development
The Air Force C-9A Nightingale aircraft were used for medical evacuation (MedEvac), passenger transportation, and special missions from 1968-2005.
The C-9B aircraft provided cargo and passenger transportation as well as forward deployed air logistics support for the Navy and Marine Corps. A C-9B was chosen by NASA to replace the aging KC-135 Vomit Comet.
Many of the Navy's C-9Bs have a higher maximum gross take-off weight (114,000 lb or 52,000 kg) and are fitted with auxiliary fuel tanks installed in the lower cargo hold to augment the aircraft's range to nearly 2,600 nautical miles (4,200 km) for overseas missions along with tail mounted infra-red (IR) scramblers to counter heat seeking missile threats in hostile environments.
The C-9 fleet was located throughout the continental U.S., Europe, and Asia.[4]
[edit] Variants
- C-9A Nightingale - 20 aeromedical evacuation aircraft for the United States Air Force.
- C-9B Skytrain II - 21 transport aircraft for the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
- VC-9C - 3 executive transport aircraft for the United States Air Force. Three aircraft (73-1681, 73-1682, 73-1683) were delivered to the US Air Force in late 1976.
- C-9K - 2 aircraft for the Kuwait Air Force.
[edit] Operators
- United States Air Force
- United States Marine Corps
- United States Navy
- NASA (only civilian agency to use the C-9)
[edit] Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 5 to 8
- Length: 119 ft 3 in (36.34 m)
- Wingspan: 93 ft 3 in (28.42 m)
- Height: 27 ft 5 in (8.36 m)
- Wing area: ft² (m²)
- Empty weight: lb (kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 114,000 lb (50,000 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A turbofans, 14,500 lbf each (64.5 kN) each
Performance
- Range: 2,600 nm ()
- Service ceiling 37,000 ft (11,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 3,000+ ft/min ()
- Thrust/weight: 1:3.93
[edit] See also
Related development
Related lists
- List of active United States military aircraft
- List of military aircraft of the United States
- List of military transport aircraft
[edit] References
- ^ "Historic C-9 heads to Andrews for retirement", US Air Force, 24 September 2005.
- ^ C-40A Clipper history page, US Navy, 16 November 2000.
- ^ "C-9B Skytrain II Completes 30 years of Continuous Fleet Support", US Navy, 2 June 2003.
- ^ C-9 Skytrain fact file, US Navy, 15 April 2005.
[edit] External links
- C-9 Skytrain fact file and C-9 history page on U.S. Navy site
- C-9 Nightingale/Skytrain on USAF Air War College site
- C-9 Nightingale on fas.org
- C-9 Nightingale/Skytrain GlobalSecurity.org
- "Goodbye to an era", deploymentlink.osd.mil, Fall 2003
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