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{|{{Infobox Aircraft Begin
{{Infobox aircraft
|name = YC-125 Raider
|name = YC-125 Raider
|image = File:Northrop_YC-125B_Raider_USAF.jpg
|image = File:Northrop_YC-125B_Raider_USAF.jpg
}}{{Infobox Aircraft Type
|type = Transport aircraft
|type = Transport aircraft
|national origin = United States
|national_origin = United States
|manufacturer = [[Northrop Corporation]]
|manufacturer = [[Northrop Corporation]]
|first flight = 1 August 1949
|first_flight = 1 August 1949
|introduced = 1950
|introduction = 1950
|retired = 1955
|retired = 1955
|primary user = [[United States Air Force]]
|primary_user = [[United States Air Force]]
|produced = 1949–1950
|produced = 1949–1950
|number built = 23
|number_built = 23
}}
}}
|}


The '''Northrop YC-125 Raider''' was a 1940s [[United States|American]] three-engined [[STOL]] utility transport built by [[Northrop Corporation]], [[Hawthorne, California]].
The '''Northrop YC-125 Raider''' is a 1940s [[United States|American]] three-engined [[STOL]] utility transport built by [[Northrop Corporation]], [[Hawthorne, California]].


==Design and development==
==Design and development==
Northrop's first postwar civil design was a three-engined STOL passenger and cargo transport named the '''Northrop N-23 Pioneer'''. The Pioneer could carry 36 passengers or five tons of cargo and first flew on 21 December 1946. The aircraft had good performance, but there was little interest due to the availability of cheap war surplus aircraft. The Pioneer was lost in a fatal crash on 19 February 1948 when it lost a new tailfin design in flight.<ref>Associated Press, "Test Pilot Dies; Crew Bails Out", ''San Bernardino Daily Sun'', San Bernardino, California, Friday 20 February 1948, Volume LIV, Number 149, page 1.</ref> In 1948, the [[United States Air Force]] expressed interest in an aircraft of the same configuration and placed an order with Northrop for 23 aircraft, 13 troop transports designated the '''C-125A Raider''' and 10 for Arctic rescue work designated the '''C-125B'''. With the company designation '''N-32 Raider''' the first aircraft flew on 1 August 1949.
Northrop's first postwar civil design was a three-engined STOL passenger and cargo transport named the '''Northrop N-23 Pioneer''', which was intended to replace the [[Ford Trimotor]]s of the Central American airline [[Avianca El Salvador|''Transportes Aéreos Centro Americanos'']] (TACA). The Pioneer could carry 36 passengers or cargo, with a cargo door and a "chin" hatch allowing the loading of {{convert|36|ft|m|abbr=on}} lengths of pipes or timber into the aircraft's cabin. It first flew on 21 December 1946. The aircraft had good performance, resulting in an order of 40 aircraft from TACA, but political manoeuvring from [[Pan-Am]] after the shipping company [[Waterman Steamship Corporation]] purchased a major stake in TACA led to TACA losing rights to operate to or from the United States, which in turn caused TACA to cancel its order for the Pioneer. Despite extensive sales tours, no further orders were obtained.{{sfn|Stern|2004|p=41}} The Pioneer was lost in a fatal crash on 19 February 1948 when it lost a new tailfin design in flight.<ref>Associated Press, "Test Pilot Dies; Crew Bails Out", ''San Bernardino Daily Sun'', San Bernardino, California, Friday 20 February 1948, Volume LIV, Number 149, page 1.</ref>

In 1948, the [[United States Air Force]] expressed interest in an aircraft of the same configuration and placed an order with Northrop for 23 aircraft, 13 troop transports designated the '''C-125A Raider''' and 10 for Arctic rescue work designated the '''C-125B'''. With the company designation '''N-32 Raider''' the first aircraft flew on 1 August 1949.


The aircraft was powered by three {{convert|1200|hp|kW|lk=on|abbr=on}} [[Wright R-1820]]-99 Cyclone radial engines. The aircraft could also be fitted with [[JATO]] rockets that enabled it to take off in less than {{convert|500|ft|m}}. The 13 troop transporters were designated ''YC-125A'' in-service and the Arctic rescue version the '''YC-125B'''.
The aircraft was powered by three {{convert|1200|hp|kW|lk=on|abbr=on}} [[Wright R-1820]]-99 Cyclone radial engines. The aircraft could also be fitted with [[JATO]] rockets that enabled it to take off in less than {{convert|500|ft|m}}. The 13 troop transporters were designated ''YC-125A'' in-service and the Arctic rescue version the '''YC-125B'''.
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Deliveries of the YC-125 to the USAF began in 1950. These aircraft did not serve long as they were underpowered and they were soon sent to [[Sheppard Air Force Base]], Texas and relegated to be ground instructional trainers until retired in 1955 and declared surplus.
Deliveries of the YC-125 to the USAF began in 1950. These aircraft did not serve long as they were underpowered and they were soon sent to [[Sheppard Air Force Base]], Texas and relegated to be ground instructional trainers until retired in 1955 and declared surplus.


Most of the surplus aircraft were purchased by Frank Ambrose and sold to bush operators in South and Central America.<ref>[http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=218 "Northrop YC-125 Raider."] ''Pima Air and Space Museum.'' Retrieved: 12 September 2012.</ref>
Most of the surplus aircraft were purchased by Frank Ambrose and sold to bush operators in South and Central America.<ref>[http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=218 "Northrop YC-125 Raider."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901075505/http://www.pimaair.org/collection-detail.php?cid=218 |date=2012-09-01 }} ''Pima Air and Space Museum.'' Retrieved: 12 September 2012.</ref>


==Variants==
==Variants==
Line 46: Line 46:
;N-74
;N-74
:Another proposed Canadair variant. Improvements including the replacement of the three engines with two [[Allison T56]] [[turboprop]]s were studied. Project abandoned in the early 1950s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chong|first=Anthony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BPw6DAAAQBAJ&q=Type+Specification+XC-622&pg=PA13|title=Flying Wings & Radical Things: Northrop's Secret Aerospace Projects & Concepts 1939-1994|date=2016-06-15|publisher=Specialty Press|isbn=978-1-58007-229-8|pages=80, 81|language=en}}</ref>
:Another proposed Canadair variant. Improvements including the replacement of the three engines with two [[Allison T56]] [[turboprop]]s were studied. Project abandoned in the early 1950s.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Chong|first=Anthony|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BPw6DAAAQBAJ&q=Type+Specification+XC-622&pg=PA13|title=Flying Wings & Radical Things: Northrop's Secret Aerospace Projects & Concepts 1939-1994|date=2016-06-15|publisher=Specialty Press|isbn=978-1-58007-229-8|pages=80, 81|language=en}}</ref>

⚫
==Surviving aircraft==
⚫
*YC-125A (XB-GEY, former 48-636) is on display at the [[Pima Air and Space Museum]] in [[Tucson, Arizona]].<ref>https://pimaair.org/museum-aircraft/northrop-yc-125a/</ref>
⚫
*YC-125B (Serial 48-626, painted as 48-622) is on display at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] in [[Dayton, Ohio]].<ref>https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195982/1951-northrop-yc-125b/</ref>


==Operators==
==Operators==
*{{USA}}: [[United States Air Force]]
*{{USA}}: [[United States Air Force]]

⚫
==Surviving aircraft==
[[File:Northrop YC-125.jpg|thumb|YC-125B at the National Museum of the United States Air Force]]

⚫
* 48-626 – YC-125B in storage at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]] in [[Dayton, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web |title=1951 Northrop YC-125B |url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195982/1951-northrop-yc-125b |website=National Museum of the United States Air Force |access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>
⚫
* 48-636 – YC-125A on static display at the [[Pima Air and Space Museum]] in [[Tucson, Arizona]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Northrop YC-125 Raider |url=http://www.pimaair.org/museum-aircraft/northrop-yc-125a |website=Pima Air & Space Museum |access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref>


==Specifications (YC-125B)==
==Specifications (YC-125B)==
[[File:Northrop YC-125.jpg|thumb|YC-125B]]
[[File:Northrop YC-125 Raider 3-view line drawing.png|frameless|right|3-view line drawing of the Northrop YC-125 Raider]]

{{Aircraft specs
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=National Museum of the US Air Force YC-125B Factsheet<ref name="NMusafc-125">{{cite web |title=NORTHROP YC-125B RAIDER |url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=784 |website=NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE US AIR FORCE™ |access-date=22 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230111227/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=784 |archive-date=30 December 2014}}</ref>
|ref=National Museum of the US Air Force YC-125B Factsheet<ref name="NMusafc-125">{{cite web |title=NORTHROP YC-125B RAIDER |url=http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=784 |website=NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE US AIR FORCE™ |access-date=22 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141230111227/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=784 |archive-date=30 December 2014}}</ref> & ''American Military Transport Aircraft Since 1925''{{sfn|Johnson|2013|p=203}}
|prime units?=imp
|prime units?=imp
<!--General characteristics-->
<!--General characteristics-->
|crew=4
|crew=4
|capacity=36 troops ''or'' {{cvt|10000|lb|t|2}} cargo
|capacity=
|length ft=67||length in=1
|length ft=67||length in=1
|span ft=86||span in=6
|span ft=86||span in=6
Line 98: Line 101:


==References==
==References==

⚫
{{commonscat}}
===Notes===
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
Line 104: Line 107:
===Bibliography===
===Bibliography===
*Andrade, John M. ''U.S Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909''. Leicestershire, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. {{ISBN|0-904597-22-9}}.
*Andrade, John M. ''U.S Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909''. Leicestershire, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. {{ISBN|0-904597-22-9}}.
* {{cite book |last=Johnson |first= E. R. |date=2013 |title=American Military Transport Aircraft Since 1925 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc. |isbn=978-0-7864-6269-8}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Stern |first=Dave |title=Northrop's Rugged Raider |magazine=[[Aeroplane Monthly|Aeroplane]] |date=December 2004 |volume=32 |issue=12 |pages=40–43 |issn=0143-7240}}
*''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft'' (Part Work 1982–1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1986.
*''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft'' (Part Work 1982–1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1986.


==External links==

⚫
{{commonscat}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=KiYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA120 'Pioneer' for Frontier Flying – Popular Science]
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=q8GHc8QvHLYC&pg=PA16 Strange Bird – Flying Magazine]


{{Northrop aircraft}}
{{Northrop aircraft}}

Latest revision as of 14:23, 17 September 2024

YC-125 Raider
General information
TypeTransport aircraft
National originUnited States
ManufacturerNorthrop Corporation
Primary userUnited States Air Force
Number built23
History
Manufactured1949–1950
Introduction date1950
First flight1 August 1949
Retired1955

The Northrop YC-125 Raider is a 1940s American three-engined STOL utility transport built by Northrop Corporation, Hawthorne, California.

Design and development

[edit]

Northrop's first postwar civil design was a three-engined STOL passenger and cargo transport named the Northrop N-23 Pioneer, which was intended to replace the Ford Trimotors of the Central American airline Transportes Aéreos Centro Americanos (TACA). The Pioneer could carry 36 passengers or cargo, with a cargo door and a "chin" hatch allowing the loading of 36 ft (11 m) lengths of pipes or timber into the aircraft's cabin. It first flew on 21 December 1946. The aircraft had good performance, resulting in an order of 40 aircraft from TACA, but political manoeuvring from Pan-Am after the shipping company Waterman Steamship Corporation purchased a major stake in TACA led to TACA losing rights to operate to or from the United States, which in turn caused TACA to cancel its order for the Pioneer. Despite extensive sales tours, no further orders were obtained.[1] The Pioneer was lost in a fatal crash on 19 February 1948 when it lost a new tailfin design in flight.[2]

In 1948, the United States Air Force expressed interest in an aircraft of the same configuration and placed an order with Northrop for 23 aircraft, 13 troop transports designated the C-125A Raider and 10 for Arctic rescue work designated the C-125B. With the company designation N-32 Raider the first aircraft flew on 1 August 1949.

The aircraft was powered by three 1,200 hp (890 kW) Wright R-1820-99 Cyclone radial engines. The aircraft could also be fitted with JATO rockets that enabled it to take off in less than 500 feet (150 m). The 13 troop transporters were designated YC-125A in-service and the Arctic rescue version the YC-125B.

The Canadian company Canadair considered building the N-23 under licence but did not proceed.

Operational history

[edit]

Deliveries of the YC-125 to the USAF began in 1950. These aircraft did not serve long as they were underpowered and they were soon sent to Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas and relegated to be ground instructional trainers until retired in 1955 and declared surplus.

Most of the surplus aircraft were purchased by Frank Ambrose and sold to bush operators in South and Central America.[3]

Variants

[edit]
A YC-125 performs a JATO takeoff
N-23 Pioneer
Prototype three-engined STOL transport, one built.
N-32 Raider
Company designation of military version of the N-23.
YC-125A Raider
N-32 with seats for thirty troops, 13 built.
YC-125B Raider
Arctic rescue version of the N-32 with twenty stretchers and provision for a ski undercarriage. Ten built (serials 48-618/627).
CL-3
Proposed Canadair licensed produced variant from 1949, with 3 x Canadian Pratt & Whitney R-1820 engines. Was redesignated CL-12 in the same year. Project was dropped sometime around early 1950.[citation needed]
N-74
Another proposed Canadair variant. Improvements including the replacement of the three engines with two Allison T56 turboprops were studied. Project abandoned in the early 1950s.[4]

Operators

[edit]

Surviving aircraft

[edit]
YC-125B at the National Museum of the United States Air Force

Specifications (YC-125B)

[edit]
3-view line drawing of the Northrop YC-125 Raider
3-view line drawing of the Northrop YC-125 Raider

Data from National Museum of the US Air Force YC-125B Factsheet[7] & American Military Transport Aircraft Since 1925[8]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 4
  • Capacity: 36 troops or 10,000 lb (4.54 t) cargo
  • Length: 67 ft 1 in (20.45 m)
  • Wingspan: 86 ft 6 in (26.37 m)
  • Height: 23 ft 1 in (7.04 m)
  • Max takeoff weight: 41,900 lb (19,006 kg)
  • Powerplant: 3 × Wright R-1820-99 Cyclone 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,200 hp (890 kW) each
  • Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propellers

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 207 mph (333 km/h, 180 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 171 mph (275 km/h, 149 kn)
  • Range: 1,856 mi (2,987 km, 1,613 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 12,200 ft (3,700 m)

See also

[edit]

Related lists

References

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Stern 2004, p. 41.
  2. ^ Associated Press, "Test Pilot Dies; Crew Bails Out", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 20 February 1948, Volume LIV, Number 149, page 1.
  3. ^ "Northrop YC-125 Raider." Archived 2012-09-01 at the Wayback Machine Pima Air and Space Museum. Retrieved: 12 September 2012.
  4. ^ Chong, Anthony (2016-06-15). Flying Wings & Radical Things: Northrop's Secret Aerospace Projects & Concepts 1939-1994. Specialty Press. pp. 80, 81. ISBN 978-1-58007-229-8.
  5. ^ "1951 Northrop YC-125B". National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  6. ^ "Northrop YC-125 Raider". Pima Air & Space Museum. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  7. ^ "NORTHROP YC-125B RAIDER". NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE US AIR FORCE™. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  8. ^ Johnson 2013, p. 203.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Andrade, John M. U.S Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Leicestershire, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979. ISBN 0-904597-22-9.
  • Johnson, E. R. (2013). American Military Transport Aircraft Since 1925. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-6269-8.
  • Stern, Dave (December 2004). "Northrop's Rugged Raider". Aeroplane. Vol. 32, no. 12. pp. 40–43. ISSN 0143-7240.
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1986.
[edit]
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