McDonnell Douglas C-9 – Φώτο &; Βίντεο

Teh McDonnell Ντάγκλας C-9 είναι μια στρατιωτική έκδοση του αεροσκάφους McDonnell Douglas DC-9. Κατασκευάστηκε ως C-9A Nightingale για την Πολεμική Αεροπορία των Ηνωμένων Πολιτειών και C-9B Skytrain II για το Ναυτικό και το Σώμα Πεζοναυτών των ΗΠΑ. Η τελευταία πτήση του C-9A Nightingale έγινε τον Σεπτέμβριο του 2005 και το C-9C αποσύρθηκε τον Σεπτέμβριο του 2011. Το Πολεμικό Ναυτικό των ΗΠΑ απέσυρε το τελευταίο του C-9B τον Ιούλιο του 2014. Τα δύο εναπομείναντα C-9 σε υπηρεσία πεζοναυτών αποσύρθηκαν τον Απρίλιο του 2017.

Πηγή: McDonnell Douglas C-9 στη Wikipedia

Teh McDonnell Ντάγκλας C-9 is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the DC-9 airliner. The C-9 was used by the United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps for medical evacuation, passenger and cargo transport, and aeromedical research. The C-9 was first flown in 1966 and entered service in 1968. The C-9 was retired from active duty in 2014, after more than 40 years of service.
The C-9 has a capacity of up to 40 patients on stretchers or 100 passengers on seats. The C-9 can also carry up to 30,000 pounds of cargo in its lower deck. The C-9 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofan engines, giving it a maximum speed of 504 mph and a range of 2,600 miles. The C-9 has a wingspan of 93 feet, a length of 119 feet and a height of 27 feet. The C-9 has a crew of four: pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer and loadmaster.
The C-9 was used extensively during the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan. The C-9 was also involved in humanitarian missions such as Operation Provide Comfort, Operation Restore Hope and Operation Unified Assistance. The C-9 was known for its reliability, versatility and low operating costs. The C-9 was replaced by the Boeing C-40 Clipper and the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules.