C-160 Transall

     Notes: This is a French-German built, medium-range transport aircraft.  South Africa and Turkey also use this aircraft.  Transall is the German abbreviation for Transporter Allianz, a consortium of MBB, Aerospatiale, and VFW-Fokker. The Transall first flew in 1963, and entered service in 1967. The Transalls are getting a bit long in the tooth, but remain in service, more than 60 years after the first flight, with the air force of Turkey. The C-160 has seen combat service in Cyprus, Zaire, South Africa, and Sudan, mostly with peacekeeping detachments. Several civilian variants of the C-160 are also in use by civilian agencies, such as the International Red Cross and several civilian freight operators.

     Newer C-160NGs have upgraded electronics, and increased fuel tankage by removing the center port side cargo door and replacing it with an additional fuel tank in the center wing section, through the fuselage.  The C-160NG also has Kevlar antispalling liners for the cockpit. The Transall has paratrooper doors near the rear of the fuselage, and a rear cargo ramp.  A flexible fuel bladder may be carried internally at the expense of cargo to add an additional 9000 liters to fuel capacity.  The C-160 has no ejection seats, but is capable of in-flight refueling. The Transall can “kneel,” partially lowing onto its landing gear, when loading cargo into its hold. The cargo hold can be pressurized for high-altitude flight, especially if passengers are carried.  The Transall is powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Tyne 20 turboprop engines developing 5670 horsepower each on the base C-160, but these are uprated to 6035 horsepower each for the C-160NG. (It was actually well known that the Tyne 20 engine could be safely operated at higher power levels.)

*The cockpit has Kevlar liners and has an AV of 9.

CASA/IPTN CN-235

     Notes: This is a joint project of Indonesia and Spain.  It is a cargo aircraft that can also be used as an anti-ship aircraft or gunship. It is also produced in a commercial passenger version, with 44 seats.  The CN-235 was designed for easy maintenance from a variety of independent contractors, and to be easy to fly. This aircraft has been widely exported. First flight was in 1986 and service entry was in 1988. In addition to Indonesia and Spain, the CN-235 is used by the Turkish Air Force, the French Air Force, Venezuela, Columbia, Thailand, Mexico, South Korea, Jordan, Senegal, and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. A wide variety of civilian versions have been built, ranging from regional transport to cropdusters. The CN-235 was later further developed into the Spanish C-295 and the Indonesian N245. The CN-235 saw combat service in 2021 in Afghanistan, when Ireland sent their only CN-235 to assist in evacuations from Kabul, and in 2022 in Ukraine, when they helped with the evacuation of wounded civilians.

     The CN-235 is a twin-turboprop light cargo aircraft with a relatively wide fuselage, an upswept tail, and wings that angle slightly upwards from their mounting point on the fuselage. The wings are also fairly wide for this type of aircraft. The CN-235 is powered by a pair of GE CT7-9C3 turboprops with a power of 1750 horsepower each, connected to four-blade propellers. The CN-235-10 is the base aircraft design; the CN-235-100/110 uses a significant amount of composites in its construction (the 100 is built in Spain, and the 110 is built in Indonesia). The CN-235-200/220 incorporates high-lift devices and leading-edge slats on its wings to produce more lift and more cargo-carrying capability (again, the 200 is built in Spain and the 220 in Indonesia). The CN-235-330 is built in Indonesia and has further design elements to allow an even higher cargo capacity.

     The CN-235 MP and MPA are two maritime surveillance and attack platforms that are similar in concept, though different in equipment carried. Both are capable of carrying the same weapons, such as a pair of Mk 46 torpedoes, a pair of Exocet antishipping missiles, or six Harpoon antishipping missiles. The CN-235 MP is equipped with a Litton APS-504(V)5 radar and a FLIR-2000HP Forward-Looking IR system, along with an ALR-86(V) EW system. The MPA uses the Thales AMASCOS system, which includes an Ocean Master 100 radar, the Chilo thermal imager system, and an ASQ-508 MAD system.

     The HC-144 Ocean Sentry is employed by the US Coast Guard as a SARbird and maritime patrol aircraft. The HC-144 has been involved in many search and rescue operations as well as drug interdiction missions.  The HC-144 can drop supplies such as rubber rafts, medical equipment, water, and food off the ramp in the rear.

     The AC-235 is a light gunship produced by KADDB in Jordan, armed with a 30mm autocannon firing out of the left side and Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 or APKWS rocket pods on sponson wing stubs on the fuselage; the actual wings do not have hardpoints. The autocannon is on a trainable mount, and can elevate, depress, and traverse to an extent.  The fire control is excellent, and the weapons detect their targets by laser designator and synthetic aperture radar (SAR). USSOCOM is currently evaluating the AC-235.

*If the aircraft is carrying Mk 46 torpedoes or Exocet missiles or weapons of a similar size and weight, only the center hardpoint on each wing may be used.