Lockheed C-141 Starlifter

Summary

Description

Throughout the early 1960s, the United States Air Force's Military Air Transport Service (MATS) sought to modernize its strategic airlift capabilities, which relied on propeller-driven aircraft. While the Boeing C-135 Stratolifters offered improvements, they lacked the side-loading doors necessary for much of the bulky equipment employed by the U.S. Army. In response, the USAF issued Specific Operational Requirement 182 in the spring of 1960, calling for a new aircraft capable of both strategic and tactical airlift missions. Lockheed's Model 300, a large airlifter with a T-tail, high-mounted swept wing, and four pod-mounted TF33 turbofan engines, was selected in March 1961, leading to President John F. Kennedy's order to develop the Lockheed 300 as the C-141. The prototype C-141A, serial number 61-2775, rolled out of Lockheed's factory in Marietta, Georgia, on 22 August 1963, and conducted its maiden flight on 17 December of the same year. Following an intensive flight testing program, the first production C-141 was delivered in April 1965, with a total of 284 C-141s manufactured by the time production ceased in February 1968.

The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter is a long range strategic airlifter designed for transporting large quantities of either cargo or passengers. It is powered by four TF33 turbofan engines, each generating up to 21,000 pounds-force (93 kN) of thrust, installed in pods beneath the high-mounted swept wing. The underside accommodates the retractable tricycle landing gear, consisting of a twin-wheel nose unit and four-wheel main units, the latter retracting forward into fairings on each side of the fuselage. The flight deck is typically operated by a crew of four. The high-mounted wing enabled internal clearance in the cargo compartment of 10 feet (3.0 m) wide, 9 ft (2.7 m) high and 70 ft (21 m) long. The floor height of the cabin is 50 inches (130 cm) above the ground, enabling access via large rear doors incorporated into the upwards-sweeping rear fuselage, furnished with a large single-piece hydraulically-actuated loading ramp. The two side-facing rear doors allowed the type to be used for dropping paratroops, and the rear cargo doors could also be opened in flight to perform airborne cargo drops.

The C-141A could carry a maximum of 70,847 pounds (32,136 kg) of cargo over shorter distances. It was capable of carrying a complete LGM-30 Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in its container and could carry up to 92,000 pounds (42,000 kg) when configured specifically for the Minuteman. For personnel transport, the aircraft could carry a maximum of 154 fully-equipped troops, 123 paratroops, or 80 litter patients. The modified C-141B could carry 103 litters, 205 troops, or 168 paratroopers. It could transport 13 standard pallets with the increased payload volume after the fuselage stretch. A later SOLL II (Special Operations Low-Level II) modification to 13 C-141Bs included improved defensive countermeasures.

Throughout its service life, the C-141 was heavily used by the USAF, first seeing significant employment during the latter stages of the Vietnam War, including repatriation flights for American prisoners of war. The C-141 formed a core of the USAF's strategic airlift capability from the late 1960s through the late 1990s. During October 1973, the C-141, along with the C-5 Galaxy, airlifted supplies to Israel during the Yom Kippur War as part of Operation Nickel Grass. In Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, the C-141 flew 159,462 short tons of cargo and 93,126 passengers during 8,536 airlift missions. In the final years of its service, multiple C-141s assigned to the Air Force Reserve's 445th Airlift Wing were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, typically engaged in medical evacuation missions. Structurally, the C-141 experienced issues, including cracking in the wing area; a remedial program during the 1980s uncovered significant corrosion and cracking, necessitating the replacement of all wing boxes across the fleet.

Main Variants:

• C-141A: The original model, 284 units built, capable of carrying 154 passengers, 123 paratroopers, or 80 litter patients.

• C-141B: Resulted from stretching 270 C-141As to increase payload volume and adding a boom receptacle for in-flight refueling.

• SOLL II: A modification of 13 C-141Bs with low-level night flying capability, enhanced navigation, and improved defensive countermeasures.

• C-141C: An upgrade to 63 C-141s in the 1990s that modernized avionics and navigation systems, adding features like TCAS and GPS.

Technical specifications

Current operating countries

No country is operating the C-141 Starlifter in 2025.

All operators

United States

Photo of C-141 Starlifter