Lockheed C-141B Starlifter
While the C-141A Starlifter had done well in the 1960s, especially in supply efforts over Vietnam, the aircraft had one glaring problem: it would “bulk out” before it reached its projected payload weight: the fuselage would be full, but the aircraft was capable of carrying more. In response to this and the C-141’s need for fueling stops on long trips, the USAF began upgrading the C-141A fleet to C-141B standard.
By adding two plugs fore and aft of the wings, the fuselage was stretched 23 feet. While the Starlifter was still incapable of carrying oversize loads, it now could carry up to its full weight. Inflight refuelling capability was also added. All surviving C-141As were upgraded between 1977 and 1982 to B standard, essentially adding 90 new C-141s to the fleet without building new aircraft. With the C-5B Galaxy also entering service, the C-141B gave the USAF unmatched air transport capability, something that would be very useful in time of war. Its first wartime service would be Operation Desert Shield, the buildup to the First Gulf War of 1991. Starlifters carried nearly half of all payloads delivered to the Southwest Asia theater.
The 1990s would see the most use of the aircraft, especially over the wartorn former nations of Yugoslavia. During NATO efforts to resupply Bosnian towns cut off by Serbian forces, C-141s were flown from Rhein-Main airbase at low level over Bosnia, where cargo pallets were dropped from the rear filled with food. As these pallets could cause damage when they hit the ground, the pallets were replaced by food boxes tied together: these boxes would break apart in midair and float down on individual parachutes. These “food bombs” would be used later in other areas where the C-141 was unable to land. Other Rhein-Main based Starlifters made the trip into the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, the airport of which was considered one of the most dangerous spots on earth, constantly subject to mortar and sniper fire, and required a diving approach to avoid being shot at by Serbian antiaircraft units posted in the mountains around the airport. C-141s and other NATO transports kept the city alive during its three-year siege, which finally ended in 1995.
In response to this, 13 C-141Bs were modified to SOLL II standard, with low-light vision equipment, GPS, and defensive chaff/flare countermeasures, for operations over high-threat areas or in conjunction with Special Forces units. Later, about a third of the lowest-timed Starlifters were modified to C-141C standard, with a new “glass” cockpit and upgraded avionics.
Despite the upgrade, the days of the C-141 were numbered. It was getting old, and wing cracks had begun to appear on older aircraft. As the C-17 Globemaster III was now coming into service, Starlifters began to be retired. The C-141Cs soldiered on long enough to be used in Afghanistan and Iraq, where they finally used their paratroop-carrying capability in combat, dropping elements of the 101st Airborne Division near Tikrit in northern Iraq. After 2004, the Starlifter was retired from active units and passed on to Air National Guard and Reserve units; the last eight operational C-141s were used to shuttle supplies into New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005. This was the Starlifter’s swan song, as after this operation ended the C-141 finally left USAF service after forty years of service. Of 285 aircraft, 19 were lost in accidents; 13 are preserved in museums.
As the small marking on the nose says, this is the very first stretched C-141B, 66-0186. Built as a C-141A, it originally served with the 437th Military Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, South Carolina. In 1977, 66-0186 was returned to Lockheed Marietta to be stretched, and completed flight testing at both Dobbins AFB (the location of Lockheed Marietta) and Edwards AFB, California. Once testing was finished, it was assigned to the 443rd MAW at Altus AFB, Oklahoma and was occasionally used as the personal aircraft of the commanding officer of Military Airlift Command. Unlike the rest of the C-141 fleet in the 1980s, 66-0186 was not camouflaged and kept the original white over gray scheme for its entire career. It was retired in 1993 and slated for preservation because of its status as the first C-141B.
As there was nowhere to display 66-0186, it was dismantled and stored at the Lockheed plant. When the Marietta Museum of History acquired land for an airpark on the northwest side of Dobbins, 66-0186 was moved there, repainted, and partially reassembled. When I saw it in 2019, it was still lacking engines; the rear ramp is displayed open, albeit with mesh covering to keep people out of the cargo bay. Seeing this aircraft was special for my uncle, who used to do maintenance on C-5s and C-141s during his time in the USAF.
Lockheed C-141B Starlifter
While the C-141A Starlifter had done well in the 1960s, especially in supply efforts over Vietnam, the aircraft had one glaring problem: it would “bulk out” before it reached its projected payload weight: the fuselage would be full, but the aircraft was capable of carrying more. In response to this and the C-141’s need for fueling stops on long trips, the USAF began upgrading the C-141A fleet to C-141B standard.
By adding two plugs fore and aft of the wings, the fuselage was stretched 23 feet. While the Starlifter was still incapable of carrying oversize loads, it now could carry up to its full weight. Inflight refuelling capability was also added. All surviving C-141As were upgraded between 1977 and 1982 to B standard, essentially adding 90 new C-141s to the fleet without building new aircraft. With the C-5B Galaxy also entering service, the C-141B gave the USAF unmatched air transport capability, something that would be very useful in time of war. Its first wartime service would be Operation Desert Shield, the buildup to the First Gulf War of 1991. Starlifters carried nearly half of all payloads delivered to the Southwest Asia theater.
The 1990s would see the most use of the aircraft, especially over the wartorn former nations of Yugoslavia. During NATO efforts to resupply Bosnian towns cut off by Serbian forces, C-141s were flown from Rhein-Main airbase at low level over Bosnia, where cargo pallets were dropped from the rear filled with food. As these pallets could cause damage when they hit the ground, the pallets were replaced by food boxes tied together: these boxes would break apart in midair and float down on individual parachutes. These “food bombs” would be used later in other areas where the C-141 was unable to land. Other Rhein-Main based Starlifters made the trip into the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, the airport of which was considered one of the most dangerous spots on earth, constantly subject to mortar and sniper fire, and required a diving approach to avoid being shot at by Serbian antiaircraft units posted in the mountains around the airport. C-141s and other NATO transports kept the city alive during its three-year siege, which finally ended in 1995.
In response to this, 13 C-141Bs were modified to SOLL II standard, with low-light vision equipment, GPS, and defensive chaff/flare countermeasures, for operations over high-threat areas or in conjunction with Special Forces units. Later, about a third of the lowest-timed Starlifters were modified to C-141C standard, with a new “glass” cockpit and upgraded avionics.
Despite the upgrade, the days of the C-141 were numbered. It was getting old, and wing cracks had begun to appear on older aircraft. As the C-17 Globemaster III was now coming into service, Starlifters began to be retired. The C-141Cs soldiered on long enough to be used in Afghanistan and Iraq, where they finally used their paratroop-carrying capability in combat, dropping elements of the 101st Airborne Division near Tikrit in northern Iraq. After 2004, the Starlifter was retired from active units and passed on to Air National Guard and Reserve units; the last eight operational C-141s were used to shuttle supplies into New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005. This was the Starlifter’s swan song, as after this operation ended the C-141 finally left USAF service after forty years of service. Of 285 aircraft, 19 were lost in accidents; 13 are preserved in museums.
As the small marking on the nose says, this is the very first stretched C-141B, 66-0186. Built as a C-141A, it originally served with the 437th Military Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, South Carolina. In 1977, 66-0186 was returned to Lockheed Marietta to be stretched, and completed flight testing at both Dobbins AFB (the location of Lockheed Marietta) and Edwards AFB, California. Once testing was finished, it was assigned to the 443rd MAW at Altus AFB, Oklahoma and was occasionally used as the personal aircraft of the commanding officer of Military Airlift Command. Unlike the rest of the C-141 fleet in the 1980s, 66-0186 was not camouflaged and kept the original white over gray scheme for its entire career. It was retired in 1993 and slated for preservation because of its status as the first C-141B.
As there was nowhere to display 66-0186, it was dismantled and stored at the Lockheed plant. When the Marietta Museum of History acquired land for an airpark on the northwest side of Dobbins, 66-0186 was moved there, repainted, and partially reassembled. When I saw it in 2019, it was still lacking engines; the rear ramp is displayed open, albeit with mesh covering to keep people out of the cargo bay. Seeing this aircraft was special for my uncle, who used to do maintenance on C-5s and C-141s during his time in the USAF.