McDonnell Douglas C-9 explained

The McDonnell Douglas C-9 is a retired military version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 airliner. It was produced as the C-9A Nightingale for the United States Air Force, and the C-9B Skytrain II for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The final flight of the C-9A Nightingale was in September 2005,[1] and the C-9C was retired in September 2011. The U.S. Navy retired its last C-9B in July 2014.[2] The two remaining C-9s in Marine service were retired in April 2017.[3]

Despite being officially retired, one C-9B, BuNo 161529, was seen as late as November 2020 being operated by the U.S. Air Force as an experimental sensor testbed. [4]

Design and development

In 1966, the U.S. Air Force identified a need for an aeromedical transport aircraft and ordered C-9A Nightingale aircraft the following year. Deliveries began in 1968.[5] The U.S. Air Force received 21 C-9A aircraft from 1968 to 1969. The C-9As were used for medical evacuation, passenger transportation, and special missions from 1968 to 2005. The C-9A were named for English social reformer Florence Nightingale (1820–1910), the founder of modern nursing.[6]

After selecting a modified DC-9 for passenger and cargo transport, the U.S. Navy ordered its first five C-9Bs, bureau numbers 159030 thru 159034. However, since the Air Force was responsible for moving military personnel from place to place in the early 1970s under the Military Airlift Command, this order was canceled.

The Navy documented to Congress that their people were being given last seating on Air Force flights. Congress authorized the Navy to fly its own passenger/cargo jets shortly thereafter. The Navy ordered eight aircraft, bureau numbers 159113 thru 159120. The first four went to VR-30 at NAS Alameda in California for west coast logistical support while the second four went to VR-1 at Norfolk in Virginia for east coast support. An additional six aircraft, bureau numbers 160046 through 160051 were delivered to the Navy and the Marine Corps in 1976 with the first two aircraft being delivered to the Marine Corps at MCAS Cherry Point, the second two delivered to VR-1 at NAS Norfolk and the last two delivered to VR-30 at NAS Alameda. An additional ten more new and ten used DC-9s were purchased and converted to C-9B for the Navy. The last C-9B to fly for the Navy was retired on 28 June 2014.[7]

Many of the Navy's C-9Bs had a higher maximum gross take-off weight of 110000lb. Auxiliary fuel tanks were installed in the lower cargo hold to augment the aircraft's range to nearly 2600nmi for overseas missions, along with the addition of tail mounted infrared scramblers to counter heat seeking missile threats in hostile environments.

Operational history

The C-9B aircraft have provided cargo and passenger transportation as well as forward deployed air logistics support for the Navy and Marine Corps. (The original "Skytrain" was the World War II era C-47 developed from the civilian DC-3.) A C-9B was also chosen by NASA for reduced gravity research,[8] replacing the aging KC-135 Vomit Comet.[9]

The C-9B squadron (VR) were located throughout the continental U.S., with detachments operated in Europe, and Asia.[10]

Variants

Operators

Aircraft on display

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123011872 "Historic C-9 heads to Andrews for retirement"
  2. Web site: The US Navy Finally Retires The C-9B Skytrain II After 41 Years. Tyler. Rogoway. 19 July 2014 .
  3. Web site: SEAPOWER Magazine Online . 2018-12-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181216032050/https://seapowermagazine.org/stories/20170526-C40.html . 2018-12-16 . dead .
  4. Web site: Trevithick . Joseph . 2021-08-03 . Retired Marine C-9B Jet Transport Is Getting Second Life As An Air Force Sensor Testbed . 2022-07-18 . The Drive . en.
  5. Gunston, Bill, ed. The Encyclopedia of World Air Power. New York, NY: Crescent Books, 1986. .
  6. News: Air Force retiring Nightingale fleet . Stars and Stripes . McEntee . Marni . August 5, 2003 . June 20, 2014.
  7. Web site: Navy says farewell to the C-9 Skytrain II aircraft . navair.navy.mil . en . 2018-09-16 . 2018-09-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180916235409/http://www.navair.navy.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.NAVAIRNewsStory&id=5690 . dead .
  8. http://jsc-aircraft-ops.jsc.nasa.gov/Reduced_Gravity/C_9B_history.html The History of C-9B Reduced Gravity Research Program
  9. Web site: Zero-Gravity Plane on Final Flight . en . 2021-04-28 . 2021-04-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210425005628/https://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/preparingtravel/kc135onfinal.html . dead .
  10. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&tid=200&ct=1 C-9 Skytrain fact file
  11. Birtles, Philip. Douglas DC-9, pp. 109, 116–120, Airlife Publishing, 2002. .
  12. Becher, Thomas. Douglas Twinjets, DC-9, MD-90, MD-90 and Boeing 717, pp. 170–176, Crowood Press, Aviation Series, 2002. .
  13. Web site: Archived copy . 2015-08-14 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150226171619/http://www.amc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-131018-054.pdf . 2015-02-26 . Drummer, Janene L. and Wilcoxson, Kathryn A. "Chronological History of the C-9A Nightingale." March 2001. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  14. Web site: Tour Air Force One. www.castleairmuseum.org. 2017-11-24.

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