C-145 Skytruck Aircraft - The C-145A Skytruck was initially procured to support the non-standard aviation mission in 2009. It was deployed by the AFSOC's 318th Special Operations Squadron under the 1st Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base to support AvFID missions in March 2011.
C-145A Skytruck is a light cargo and troop transport aircraft designed and manufactured by Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze (PZL) Mielec for the US Air Force (USAF). The aircraft is primarily used to assist Aviation Foreign Internal Defense (AvFID) missions of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).
C-145 Skytruck Aircraft
The MC-145B Coyote is equipped with wing-mounted and internal common launch tube portals, and ramps for weapon deployment. The four underwing hardpoints can hold AGM-114 Hellfire, AGR-20 advanced precision kill weapon system (APKWS), GBU-39 small diameter bomb (SDB), and precision-guided rockets.
Weapons Compatibility Of Mc-B Coyote Aircraft
SNC and PZL Mielec are partners in the US Special Operations Command's (USSOCOM) Armed Overwatch program. The MC-145B Coyote prototype is one of the five prototypes selected for the Armed Overwatch program in May 2021, with five companies receiving contracts totaling $19.2m in value for the prototype demonstration.
The aircraft has a wingspan of 72.38ft (22.05m), a length of 43ft (13.1m), and a height of 16ft (4.9m). The passenger cabin has a length of 17.25ft (5.26m), a width of 5.66ft (1.73m), and a height of 5.6ft (1.7m).
The flight deck accommodates a crew of two pilots and one loadmaster. The aircraft can carry a total of 16 passengers or 10 combat rigged paratroopers based on the mission requirements. It is capable of performing airland and airdrop of cargo up to a maximum capacity of 2,400lb.
The C-145A operates at a service ceiling of 25,000ft with an on board supplemental oxygen equipment. It performs take-off and landing at 1,000ft, with maximum gross weight. The propulsion system enables the aircraft to fly at a maximum cruise speed of 223kt and to a maximum range of 1,010nm.
C-A Skytruck Design And Features
The aircraft incorporates dual communication and radio navigation equipment for flight plans compliant with visual flight rules (VFR) and instrumental flight rules (IFR). The equipment includes VHF omni directional radio range (VOR) navigation system, a global positioning system (GPS), instrument landing system (ILS) and an automatic direction finder (ADF).
It was relocated to the 919th Special Operations Wing at Duke Field in January 2013 and was operated by the 6th Special Operations Squadron. It replaced the MC-130E Combat Talon I aircraft, which was retired in April 2013.
The PZL M28 Skytruck is a license-built version of the Antonov An-28 and is in service with the Polish Air Force, Vietnamese Air Force, Polish Navy, Royal Nepalese Army Air Service, Venezuelan Army and Indonesian Air Police.
The MC-145B aircraft can accommodate 19 passengers. The rear cargo door has a length of 8.5ft (2.6m) and a width of 3.9ft (1.2m). The baggage compartment under the fuselage can carry a load of 662lb (300.3kg).
C-A Skytruck Light Twin-Engine Aircraft
C-145A Skytruck transport aircraft features an all-metal structure and requires less operating costs. It is equipped with high wings and two vertical fins. A non-retractable, fixed tricycle landing gear with a steerable nose wheel is attached to enable short take-off and landings (STOL) on unprepared runways.
AFSOC retired 11 C-145As in 2015 and these were offered to US allies. The Estonian Air Force received the first of two C-145As in 2019, while Kenya accepted six aircraft. Costa Rica and Nepal will receive two aircraft each.
The aircraft has a length of 43ft, height of 16ft and wing span of 72.4ft. It has a maximum take-off weight of 16,534lb and can carry a maximum cargo of 5,000lb or up to four litter patients.
The BRU-71 bomb rack pod has four wing pylons with 500lb (227kg) capacity and a standard 14in (0.35m) lug spacing. It can accommodate payloads such as SAR, as well as ISR and electronic warfare (EW) pods.
The aircraft first deployed in 2011 to Afghanistan. It is reconfigurable for 2,400 lb of cargo airdrop, casualty evacuation, CSAR, and humanitarian missions. C-145As later shifted to partnership capacity building Aviation Foreign Internal Defense (AvFID) missions.
The aircraft has a radio frequency (RF) transparent side door with a weight capacity of more than 300lb (136.07kg). The side compartment can carry distributed search and rescue (SAR), non-traditional communication intelligence (COMINT), and standoff sensor payloads.
Contractor: PZL Mielec (Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky subsidiary).First Flight: July 1993 (PZL M-28).Delivered: 2009-2013.IOC: N/A.Production: 16.Inventory: Five, USSOCOM-owned.Operator: AFSOC, AFRC (associate). Aircraft Location: Duke Field, Fla. Active Variant: •C-145A. Militarized civilian M-28 Skytruck used for SOF support and training. Dimensions: Span 72.3 ft, length 43 ft, height 16.1 ft. Weight: Max T-O 16,534 lb. Power Plant: Two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65B turboprops, 1,100 shp.
Performance: Speed 256.5 mph, range 1,161.5 miles.Ceiling: 25,000 ft.Accommodation: Two pilots, one loadmaster.Load: 16 passengers or 10 paratroopers; up to four litters; max cargo 5,000 lb. The aircraft is an enhanced version of the PZL M28 Skytruck, a twin-engine turboprop utility aircraft with short take-off and landing (STOL) capability.
Manufactured by PZL Mielec, the M28 aircraft can operate in difficult environments, such as the deserts of Jordan, the subtropical forests of Kenya, and the harsh cold weather of Estonia. C-145A Skytruck is a light cargo and troop transport aircraft designed and manufactured by Polskie Zaklady Lotnicze (PZL) Mielec for the US Air Force (USAF).
The aircraft is primarily used to assist Aviation Foreign Internal Defense (AvFID) missions of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The highly modified aircraft has a cabin area, which is expected to support the deployment of large, palletised munitions such as Lockheed Martin's cruise missile - the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM).
It also features an air-operable rear cargo ramp. AFSOC now uses contract aircraft to provide partner countries with more tailored assistance and opted to cut the fleet from 16 to the current five aircraft in 2015. C-145s now provide aircrew proficiency for combat aviation advisers.
Furthermore, the aircraft features a retractable sensor payload area, which has a diameter of 25in (0.63m), a height of 30in (0.76m), and a load capacity of approximately 330lb (150kg). The sensor payloads that can be carried in the retractable sensor lift include electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR), hyperspectral, SAR, and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) systems.
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