| C-160 | |
|---|---|
| C-160 of the German Luftwaffe | |
| Role | Transport aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Transall |
| First flight | 25 February 1963 |
| Introduction | 1967 |
| Primary users | Luftwaffe French Air Force Turkish Air Force |
| Produced | 1965–1985 |
| Number built | 214 |
The Transall C-160 (often C.160) is a military transport aircraft developed by a consortium of French and German aircraft manufacturers for the air forces of those two nations and that of South Africa. The C-160 will be replaced in French and German service by the Airbus A400M, now under development.[1]
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The C-160 was originally conceived as a replacement for the French Air Force's Nord Noratlas fleet. It is turboprop-powered and of conventional configuration for aircraft of this type, with high wings, and a loading ramp built into the rear of the fuselage. In size it falls between the Aeritalia G.222 and the C-130 Hercules.
Three prototypes flew in 1963, followed by pre-production examples in 1965 and production airframes from 1967. The first batch included 110 C-160Ds for the Luftwaffe, 50 C-160Fs for the French Air Force, and nine C-160Zs for the South African Air Force. Four C-160Fs were converted to C-160P air mail transport aircraft, and were operated by Air France. Production continued until 1972 with French aircraft built by Aérospatiale and German aircraft by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm.
In 1977, the French Air Force ordered an updated version designated C-160NG, for Nouvelle Génération ("New Generation"). From 1981, 29 of these aircraft were delivered, half of them configured as tanker aircraft for aerial refuelling. Another four were configured as C-160H TACAMO aircraft, for communication with submerged submarines. Finally, two more were converted to SIGINT electronic surveillance aircraft, designated C-160G Gabriel, replacing the Noratlases that had been in this role previously. While still new, the C-160Gs took part in the Gulf War of 1991.
From 1994 to 1999, all French C-160s underwent an avionics upgrade and the addition of new anti-missile countermeasures. The C-160Fs and NGs so updated were redesignated C-160R (Renové—"renovated"). Luftwaffe airframes have similarly undergone life-extension programmes by BAE Systems, but all French and German C-160s are reaching the end of their service lives as of 2008[update]. All South African C-160s have already been retired, while the Turkish Air Force continues to operate 20 obtained from Germany (C-160T).
To replace the Transall, the Luftwaffe, the French Air Force, and the South African Air Force ordered respectively 60, 50 and eight Airbus A400M but the South African order was cancelled.
One South African Air Force C-160Z number 337 has been preserved and is on display at the South African Air Force Museum, Swartkop Air Force Base near Pretoria.
One French C-160 stationed at Souda base in Crete, Greece in order to support French troops deployed in the enforcement of no-fly zone in Libya
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982-83 [3]
General characteristics
Performance
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