Is there a modern day equivalent ?

that will do what it did,
either in the military or civilian use.

C-130?
Osprey?

I guess the C-130 is the closest that is currently out there in our inventory, although it is quite a bit bigger.

Maybe the C-27J Spartan.

Oh wait...

http://www.nydailynews.com/new...ns-article-1.1479580

I didn't know they made gunships out of those. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_AC-119

The C-130 is the direct replacement as it's turboprop engines were the big upgrade.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
Maybe the C-27J Spartan.

Oh wait...

http://www.nydailynews.com/new...ns-article-1.1479580

What a shame. I flew the A-model C-27s down in Panama back in the day. Even then the Air Force limited our takeoff and landing weights to extend the service life of the airframes - and then sent them to the boneyard. Well, a few kept flying in and out of Peru for a few years with some other guys, but they were all parked well before their service lives. The Air Force just cannot seem to come to grips with a short-haul tactical airlifter. Hell, when I was in Panama we did the whole TAC/SAC/MAC transition to the new commands and we ended up in ACC with a B-1 guy in fucking Langley in charge of us. Yeah, tell me how to do that NDB circling approach into Yurimaguas again?

Sorry, rant off but this is the first time I have seen my beloved Chuck-27 mentioned on SF!

quote:

Originally posted by corsair:
The C-130 is the direct replacement as it's turboprop engines were the big upgrade.

I am no aviation expert but I am thinking this.

You really cant get any smaller than the C130 on a practical basis because lots of equipment - like the HMMWV, Stryker, LAV, etc are designed to be air-transported... and that dictates the min. size of the aircraft.

And honestly - the C130 is pretty small. I jumped out of them in the Army and remember thinking they really are pretty cramped when you put 60-70 paratroopers in one.

--------------------------------

The Mighty Chuck-27 was as wide as a C-130, just not as long.

We could take standard pallets or Humvees. Of course we could only take three of them.

But we only needed 1500x45 feet of dirt to get in and out. That opened up a LOT of airstrips in central and south America.

Anyway, there was the capability to haul standard loads - the Air Force just hated it.

I have to add - we did do the airdrop thing for a year or so but then everyone figured out that the only advantage a C-27 had over a C-130 was a shorter landing distance, but with a smaller payload so if you were not landing, and just dropping stuff, why even bother with a C-27?

So we stopped that nonsense.

They just refinished re painting the one by the jump towers at Benning.

The C-119 Flying Box Car played a role in supplying the French Troops in the battle of Dien Bien Phu, the battle in which was the end for France in Vietnam.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/..._C-119_Flying_Boxcar

quote:

the C130 is pretty small. I jumped out of them in the Army and remember thinking they really are pretty cramped when you put 60-70 paratroopers in one.

And thus it defines the minimum size limit for the proverbial "can of whoopass".

Didn't the -27's end up going to the Coast Guard?

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
And honestly - the C130 is pretty small. I jumped out of them in the Army and remember thinking they really are pretty cramped when you put 60-70 paratroopers in one.

My first jump was out of a C-123 on a hot July afternoon at Fort Benning. I was glad to jump and get the heck out of that airplane.

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:

...Didn't the -27's end up going to the Coast Guard?

Right you are, Mr Kotter, the brand new J models did. IIRC, first it was an Army program, then the AF decided it would be joint, and then the AF said "This plane supports the Army, we don't need it."

http://defense-update.com/20140107_uscg_c27j.html