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Air Power
Lockheed C-141 Starlifter

The Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) C-141 was the first jet aircraft designed to meet military standards as a troop and cargo carrier. It was also the first military aircraft to be developed with a requirement for FAA type certification in the contract. The Starlifter is the workhorse of the Air Mobility Command. It fulfills a vast spectrum of airlift requirements through its ability to airlift combat forces over long distances, place those forces and their equipment either by conventional landings or airdrops, resupply employed forces, and extract the sick and wounded from a hostile area.

President John F. Kennedy's first official act after his inauguration was to order the development of an all-jet transport to extend the reach of the nation's military forces. Lockheed's C-141 StarLifter was the result. The C-141 Starlifter was the workhorse of the Air Mobility Command during the Cold War. The Starlifter fulfilled the vast spectrum of airlift requirements through its ability to airlift combat forces over long distances, inject those forces and their equipment either by airland or airdrop, re-supply employed forces, and extract the sick and wounded from the hostile area to advanced medical facilities.

The current C-141B is a stretched version of the original C-141A with in-flight refueling capability. The C-141B is about 23 ft longer than the C-141A, with cargo capacity increased by about one-third. The C-141 force, nearing seven million flying hours, has a proven reliability and long-range capability.

To slow aircraft aging of the active duty fleet, 56 PAI aircraft were transferred to the UE Guard and Reserve as of FY95. Additionally, the process of retiring high flight hour equivalent aircraft will culminate with the retirement of the entire AMC active duty fleet by FY03. The Air Force plans to retire Unit Equipped (UE) ARC C-141C aircraft by FY06. There were a total of 99 C-141s in service worldwide as of the end of 2001. The Air Force did not used the C-141 in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, relying instead on the newer and larger C-17.

Specifications:
Primary Function: Long-range troop and cargo airlift.
Contractor: Lockheed-Georgia Co.
Unit Cost: $8.1 million (1992 dollars).
Crew: Six (pilot, co-pilot, two loadmasters, and two flight engineers).
Total Fuel Capacity: 23,592 US gal
Power Plant: Four Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-7 turbofan engines.
Thrust: 20,250 pounds (9,112.5 kilograms), each engine.
Date Deployed: C-141A: May 1964; C-141B: December 1979.
Inventory 2001: 99 total
1998: Active force, 241; ANG, 16; Reserve, 12.

Dimensions:
Length: 168 feet, 4 inches (51 meters).
Height: 39 feet, 3 inches (11.9 meters).
Wingspan: 160 feet (48.5 meters).
Operating Weight: 144,492 lb
Max Takeoff Weight: 2.25g 343,000 lb
Max Payload: 2.25g 94,508 lb

Performance:
Speed: 500 mph (Mach 0.66).
Design Cruise Speed: 489 kt
Long Range Cruise Speed: 465 kt
Max Rate of Climb (MGW): 2,700 fpm
Ceiling: 41,000 feet (12,424 meters).
Max Payload Range: 2,500 miles (2,174 nautical miles).
Ferry Range: 5,550 NM
Takeoff Distance (MGW): 6,800 ft
Landing Distance (DLW): 3,750 ft