Lockheed C-141 STARLIFTER

At the end of the 1950s, the USAF was aware that its transport aircraft fleet was outdated and could hardly take care of large deployments to faraway places within the time required in case of crisis. Then, a request was made to provide a new aircraft capable of meeting the needs of strategic and tactical transport, resulting in the “Lockheed Model 300“, the first jet designed specifically for military transport. Finally, after several years of development and testing, in April 1965 the C-141A Starlifter entered service. The new aircraft was immediately sent to Southeast Asia to collaborate in the Vietnam War. In 1977, the existing Starlifters were lengthened to take better advantage of their excellent capacities giving rise to the standard C-141B variant. Later in the 90s, about 60 Starlifter were updated to the C-141C variant. In this new variant, special emphasis was placed on the electronic elements of the aircraft, installing new navigation and avionics systems. In addition, different mechanical components were exchanged for more reliable electronic ones. Having participated in all major operations carried out by the American Armed Forces since its birth, the C-141 Starlifter was removed from the USAF in September 2004 and from the Air Force Reserve in May 2006.

C-141 STARLIFTER gallery and more info