Lockheed C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter is a US military transport aircraft. It was used by the US Air Force between 1965 and 2006. It flew missions during the Vietnam War and the Gulf War. It also helped bring supplies for humantarian missions. It was only used by the United States. A total of 285 were built.[1]
| C-141 Starlifter | |
|---|---|
_C-141B_Starlifter_aircraft_flies_over_the_base_F-3282-SPT-92-000174-XX-0696.jpg) | |
| Lockheed C-141 Starlifter in flight. | |
| Role | Strategic airlifter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Corporation |
| Introduction | April 1965 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Number built | 285 |
The C-141 Starlifter was the world's first strategic jet military transport aircraft as well as first of the United States.[2] Starlifters supplied U.S. forces throughout the world, aiding in humanitarian efforts and military conflicts in Grenada and Panama and providing support to Israeli forces during several flare-ups in the Middle East.
The development of the C-141 Starlifter was in response to a request by members of the Military Air Transport Service for a jet transport aircraft. Lockheed Corporation had an advantage since they had created the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. In 1961, United States president John F. Kennedy announced that Lockheed Corporation had won the contract for the creation of a new jet transport aircraft. The first production aircraft was finished on 22 August 1963, being accepted for U.S. service 6 days later.[3]
Its purpose was to replace older aircraft such as the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II and Douglas C-133 Cargomaster.[4] Itself would be replaced by the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.[5][6]
Lockheed C-141 Starlifter Media
Early C-141As of 436th Airlift Wing, MAC, at Brisbane Airport, Australia, supporting the visit of President Lyndon B. Johnson, 22 October 1966
Civil Lockheed Starlifter demonstration for Flying Tiger Line, 1966
The Apollo 11 Mobile Quarantine Facility is unloaded from a C-141 at Ellington Air Force Base, 27 July 1969.
A C-141 in flight, c. 1984
A C-141 participating in Operation Deep Freeze, October 1997 (2 Emperor Penguins can be seen standing in the foreground).
A C-141 Starlifter leaves a contrail over Antarctica
Hanoi Taxi flying over the National Museum of the United States Air Force in December 2005.
Cockpit of early C-141 on display at McChord AFB
A lengthened C-141B in front of a C-141A
Upgraded glass cockpit of the C-141C variant
Related pages
References
- ↑ C-141 StarLifter. Lockheed Martin (1 October 2020). Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ↑ Lockheed C-141C Starlifter "Hanoi Taxi". National Museum of the United States Air Force. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ↑ A look back—Lockheed C-141 Starlifter. Air Mobility Command. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
- ↑ C-141A Starlifter. Air Mobility Command Museum. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
- ↑ Long, Randall L.. The USAF C-17 Fleet: A Strategic Airlift Shortfall?. Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) (March 1997). Retrieved 27 December 2025.
- ↑ Bolkcom, Christopher. Military Airlift: C-17 Aircraft Program. DTIC (25 January 2007)Congressional Research Service.
