De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
Encyclopedia
The de Havilland Canada
De Havilland Canada
The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd. company was an aircraft manufacturer with facilities based in what is now the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...

 DHC-4 Caribou (designated by the United States military as the CV-2 and later C-7 Caribou) is a Canadian-designed and produced specialized cargo aircraft
Cargo aircraft
A cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. They are usually devoid of passenger amenities, and generally feature one or more large doors for the loading and unloading of cargo...

 with short takeoff and landing
STOL
STOL is an acronym for short take-off and landing, a term used to describe aircraft with very short runway requirements.-Definitions:There is no one accepted definition of STOL and many different definitions have been used by different authorities and nations at various times and for a myriad of...

 (STOL) capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1958 and although mainly retired from military operations, is still in use in small numbers as a rugged "bush" aircraft.

Design and development

The de Havilland Canada company's third STOL design was a big step up in size compared to its earlier DHC Beaver and DHC Otter, and was the first DHC design powered by two engines. The Caribou, however, was similar in concept in that it was designed as a rugged STOL utility. The Caribou was primarily a military tactical transport that in commercial service found itself a small niche in cargo hauling. The United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 ordered 173 in 1959 and took delivery in 1961 under the designation AC-1, which was changed to CV-2 Caribou in 1962.

The majority of Caribou production was destined for military operators, but the type's ruggedness and excellent STOL capabilities requiring runway lengths of only 1200 feet (365 metres) also appealed to some commercial users. US certification was awarded on 23 December 1960. Ansett-MAL
Ansett Australia
Ansett Australia, Ansett, Ansett Airlines of Australia, or ANSETT-ANA as it was commonly known in earlier years, was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne. The airlines flew domestically within Australia and to destinations in Asia during its operation in 1996...

, which operated a single example in the New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...

 highlands, and AMOCO
Amoco
Amoco Corporation, originally Standard Oil Company , was a global chemical and oil company, founded in 1889 around a refinery located in Whiting, Indiana, United States....

 Ecuador were early customers, as was Air America, (a CIA front in South East Asia during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

 era for covert operations). Other civil Caribou aircraft entered commercial service after being retired from their military users.

Today only a handful are in civil use.

Operational history

In response to a US Army requirement for a tactical airlifter to supply the battlefront with troops and supplies and evacuate casualties on the return journey, de Havilland Canada designed the DHC-4. With assistance from Canada's Department of Defence Production, DHC built a prototype demonstrator that flew for the first time on 30 July 1958.

Impressed with the DHC4's STOL capabilities and potential, the US Army ordered five for evaluation as YAC-1s and went on to become the largest Caribou operator. The AC-1 designation was changed in 1962 to CV-2, and then C-7 when the US Army's CV-2s were transferred to the US Air Force in 1967. US and Australian Caribous saw extensive service during the Vietnam War.

The U.S. Army purchased 159 of the aircraft and they served their purpose well as a tactical transport during the Vietnam War, where larger cargo aircraft such as the C-123 Provider
C-123 Provider
The C-123 Provider was an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and subsequently built by Fairchild Aircraft for the United States Air Force...

 and the C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...

 could not land on the shorter landing strips. The aircraft could carry 32 troops or two Jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...

s or similar light vehicles. The rear loading ramp could also be used for parachute dropping (also, see Air America).

Under the Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966
Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966
The Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966 was an agreement between United States Army Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson and United States Air Force Chief of Staff General John P. McConnell on 6 April 1966. The U.S. Army agreed to give up its fixed-wing tactical airlift aircraft, while the U.S....

, the Army relinquished the fixed wing Caribou to the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 in exchange for an end to restrictions on Army rotary wing
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

 operations. On 1 January 1967, the 17th, 57th, 61st, 92nd, 134th, and 135th Aviation Companies of the U.S. Army were inactivated and their aircraft transferred respectively to the newly-activated 537th, 535th, 536th, 459th, 457th, and 458th Troop Carrier Squadrons of the USAF. On 1 August 1967 the "troop carrier" designations were changed to "tactical airlift".

Some US Caribou were captured by North Vietnamese forces and remained in service with that country through to the late 1970s. Following the war in Vietnam, all USAF Caribous were transferred to Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...

 airlift units pending their replacement by the C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...

 in the 1980s.

All C-7s have since been phased out of the US military, with the last example serving again under US Army control through 1985 in support of the US Army's Golden Knights
Golden Knights
*For the Byzantine order of Knights, see Angelici.*For the ancient sect, see Angelici .*For the US Army Parachute Team The Golden Knights, see United States Army Parachute Team* For the annual correspondence chess tournament, see Golden Knights...

 parachute demonstration team. Other notable military operators included Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Malaysia and Spain.

The Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

 retired its last Caribou, A4-140, on 27 November 2009. The aircraft, which was manufactured in 1964, was donated to the Australian War Memorial
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...

, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

.

Brazil's Caribous are slowly being replaced by more modern EADS CASA C-295
EADS CASA C-295
The EADS CASA C-295 is a twin-turboprop tactical military transport aircraft manufactured by Airbus Military in Spain.-Design and development:...

 turboprop cargo airplanes.

Variants

DHC-4 Caribou
STOL tactical transport, utility transport aircraft.
CC-108
:Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...

 designation for the DHC-4 Caribou
YAC-1
:This designation was given to five DHC-4 Caribous, sold to the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 for evaluation
AC-1
:United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 designation for the first production run of 56 DHC-4 Caribou. Later redesignated CV-2A in 1962
CV-2A
:United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 AC-1 redesignated in 1962
CV-2B
:This designation was given to a second production run of 103 DHC-4 Caribous, which were sold to the US Army, with reinforced internal ribbing
C-7A/B
:These designations were applied to all 144 Caribous transferred to the US Air Force by the US Army

DHC-4A Caribou
Similar to the DHC-4, but this version had an increased takeoff weight.

DHC-4T Turbo Caribou
A conversion of the baseline DHC-4 Caribou powered by the PWC PT6A-67T turboprop engines designed, test flown and certified by the Pen Turbo Aviation company.

Military operators

 Abu Dhabi (emirate)/
  • United Arab Emirates Air Force
    United Arab Emirates Air Force
    The United Arab Emirates Air Force is the air force of the United Arab Emirates . Its predecessor was established in 1968, when the Emirates were still under British rule. Since then, it has undergone a continual reorganization and expansion in terms of both capability and numbers of aircraft...



  • Royal Australian Air Force
    Royal Australian Air Force
    The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

    • No. 35 Squadron RAAF
      No. 35 Squadron RAAF
      No. 35 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force transport unit. First formed in 1942, No. 35 Squadron saw action in World War II and the Vietnam War.-History:...

    • No. 38 Squadron RAAF
      No. 38 Squadron RAAF
      No. 38 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force transport squadron. The Squadron was formed in 1943 and saw active service in the Second World War, Korean War and Malayan Emergency. No. 38 Squadron has also supported Australian peacekeeping operations around the world including in Kashmir and East...

    • RAAF Transport Flight Vietnam

  • Brazilian Air Force
    Brazilian Air Force
    The Brazilian Air Force is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branch were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces"...



  • Royal Canadian Air Force
    Royal Canadian Air Force
    The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...

    ; retired with the Canadian Forces
    Canadian Forces
    The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...


  • Cameroon Air Force
    Cameroon Air Force
    The Cameroon Air Force is the air force of the African nation of Cameroon. The Cameroon Air Force, along with the Cameroon Army, the Cameroon Navy , the National Gendarmerie, and the Presidential Guard make up the Cameroonian Armed Forces.The Cameroon Air Force theoretically possesses a fairly...


  • Air Surveillance Service; Refurbished in July 2010 for the Fuerza Publica.

  • Ghana Air Force
    Ghana Air Force
    The Ghana Air Force is the air force of the African nation of Ghana. The GAF, along with the Ghanaian Army and Navy, make up the armed forces of Ghana which are controlled by that nation's Ministry of Defence....


  • Indian Air Force
    Indian Air Force
    The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...


  • Imperial Iranian Air Force

  • Kenya Air Force
    Kenya Air Force
    The Kenya Air Force is the national Air Force of Kenya.The main airbase operating fighters is Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, while Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi is the HQ & operations Kenya Air Force. Other bases include FOB Mombasa The Kenya Air Force (KAF) is the national Air Force of...

     operated type 1966–1987.

  • Kuwait Air Force
    Kuwait Air Force
    The Kuwait Air Force is the air arm of the State of Kuwait. The Air Force headquarters is located at Al Mubarak Air Base, with the remaining forces stationed at Air Defence Brigade, Ali Al Salem Air Base and Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base...

     received two aircraft in 1963.

  • Two refurbished aircraft were delivered to the Liberian Army's, Air Reconnaissance Unit in 1989. The aircraft were destroyed during the civil war.

  • Malaysian Air Force retired their Caribous from active service.

  • Sultanate of Oman Air Force
    Royal Air Force of Oman
    The Royal Air Force of Oman is the air arm of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces-History:...


  • Spanish Air Force
    Spanish Air Force
    -The early stages:Hot air balloons had been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with the help of Alfredo Kindelán, Leonardo Torres y Quevedo directed the construction of the first Spanish dirigible in the Army Military Aerostatics Service, created in 1896 and located...


 South Vietnam
  • Vietnam Air Force
    Vietnam Air Force
    The Vietnam Air Force began with a few hand-picked men chosen to fly alongside French pilots during the State of Vietnam era. It eventually grew into the world’s sixth largest air force at the height of its power, in 1974...


  • Swedish Air Force
    Swedish Air Force
    The Swedish Air Force is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.-History:The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganized and expanded...

     operated one DHC-4 Caribou designated Tp 55 between 1962 and 1965 for evaluation purposes at F 7 Såtenäs
    F 7 Såtenäs
    F 7 Såtenäs, Skaraborgs Flygflottilj, Skaraborg Air Force Wing, or simply "F 7", is a Swedish Air Force wing with the main base located near Lidköping in south-central Sweden.- History of the airbase :...

     Air Force base.

  • Tanzanian Air Force

  • Royal Thai Police
    Royal Thai Police
    The Royal Thai Police are the national police of Thailand.-About:Primary responsibility for the maintenance of public order through enforcement of the kingdom's laws was exercised by the Thailand National Police Department , a subdivision of the Ministry of Interior...

     The Royal Thai Police used three DHC-4A from 1966 to 2005.

  • Uganda Police Force
    Uganda Police Force
    The Uganda Police Force is the national police force of Uganda. The head of the Force is called the Inspector General of Police . The current IGP is Major General Edward Kale Kayihura. He is a soldier of the UPDF....

     Air Wing

  • United States Army
    United States Army
    The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

  • United States Air Force
    United States Air Force
    The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...


  • Vietnam People's Air Force
    Vietnam People's Air Force
    The Vietnam People's Air Force is the air force of Vietnam. It is the successor of the former North Vietnamese Air Force and the absorbed Republic of Vietnam Air Force following the re-unification of Vietnam in 1975.-Beginning-1964 :The first Vietnamese aircraft were two trainers, a de Havilland...

     captured several ex-VNAF
    Vietnam Air Force
    The Vietnam Air Force began with a few hand-picked men chosen to fly alongside French pilots during the State of Vietnam era. It eventually grew into the world’s sixth largest air force at the height of its power, in 1974...

     airplane.

  • Zambian Air Force
    Zambian Air Force
    The Zambian Air Force is the air force of Zambia.Following the creation of the Republic of Zambia in 1964, Zambian military avaition was organized as the Zambia Air Wing which lasted until 1968. The Zambian Air Force was then established....

     operated four Caribou.

Civil operators

  • Ansett-MAL
    Ansett Australia
    Ansett Australia, Ansett, Ansett Airlines of Australia, or ANSETT-ANA as it was commonly known in earlier years, was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne. The airlines flew domestically within Australia and to destinations in Asia during its operation in 1996...

     operated one aircraft in the New Guinea
    New Guinea
    New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...

     highlands.

  • La Sarre Air Services

  • Air Surveillance Service

  • AMOCO Ecuador
  • Anglo-Ecuador Oilfields
  • Aerolíneas Cóndor of SA

  • Air Inter Gabon
    Air Inter Gabon
    -History:Air Inter Gabon was founded in 1956 as a subsidiary of Air Gabon. The airline initially operated charter flights, with scheduled flights begun in 1961. The airline's first scheduled route connected Port-Gentil with Lambaréné in Moyen-Ogooué Province...


  • Trigana Air

  • New Cal Aviation

  • Garamut Exploration Services
  • Vanimo Trading

  • Air Asia
    Air Asia (Taiwan)
    Air Asia Company Limited is a provider of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services headquartered on the island of Taiwan in the Republic of China. It is now located in the Tainan Airport...


  • Air America
  • Bannock Aerospace
  • Chieftain Air
  • Deutsche Aviation
  • Environmental Research Institute of Michigan
    Environmental Research Institute of Michigan
    -History:The Environmental Research Institute of Michigan began as Willow Run Laboratories in 1946, but was established as a private not for profit research institute when it formally separated from the University of Michigan in 1972. ERIM contributed to the development of remote sensing for...

  • Fowler Aeronautical Service
  • H A T Aviation Inc.
  • John Woods Inc.
  • New Cal Aviation
  • Pen Turbo Aviation

Incidents and accidents

On 27 August 1992 a Caribou which had modified to turboprop specification by NewCal Aviation crashed on takeoff at Gimli Industrial Park Airport
Gimli Industrial Park Airport
Gimli Industrial Park Airport, , is a former military field located west of Gimli, Manitoba, Canada. The field is now operated as a civilian airport, with one of the original parallel runways decommissioned and now a significant portion of Gimli Motorsport Park...

 in Gimli, Manitoba
Gimli, Manitoba
Gimli is a a rural municipality located in the Interlake region of south-central Manitoba, Canada, on the western shore of Lake Winnipeg. It is about north of the provincial capital Winnipeg...

. 3 people aboard were killed.

United States

de Havilland AC-1/C-7A, AF Serial No. 60-3767
Exhibited at Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum
Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum
The Jimmy Doolittle Air & Space Museum is an extensive aviation museum located at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. The museum houses 35+ aircraft displays and various other informative artifacts.-History:...

, Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force air base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command , located three miles east of the central business district of Fairfield, in Solano County, California, United States. The base is named for Brigadier General Robert F...

, Fairfield, California
Fairfield, California
Fairfield is a city located in Solano County in Northern California, USA. It is generally considered the midpoint between the cities of San Francisco and Sacramento, approximately from the city center of both cities, approximately from the city center of Oakland, less than from Napa Valley, 18...


de Havilland AC-1A/C-7A, AF Serial No. 62-4188
On display at New England Air Museum, Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby and Suffield, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut....

, Connecticut

de Havilland CV-2B/C-7B Caribou, AF Serial No. 63-9756
Exhibited at Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB, Georgia

de Havilland C-7A Caribou, AF Serial No. 63-9760
Exhibited at the Air Mobility Command Museum, Dover AFB, Delaware.

de Havilland C-7A Caribou, AF Serial No. 62-4193
Exhibited at the 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum
82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum
The 82nd Airborne Division War Memorial Museum is a museum located at Ardennes and Gela Streets on the Fort Bragg Army base. Established in 1945, the museum chronicles the history of the 82nd Airborne Division from 1917 to the present including World War I, World War II, Vietnam War, and Persian...

, Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...

, North Carolina.

de Havilland C-7A Caribou, AF Serial No. 57-3083
Exhibited at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
National Museum of the United States Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the world's largest and oldest military aviation museum with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display...

, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio

de Havilland CV-2B, AF Serial No. 62-4149
Exhibited at Cavanaugh Flight Museum
Cavanaugh Flight Museum
The Cavanaugh Flight Museum is an aviation museum in Addison, Texas, with a non-profit 501 status for aviation educational.- Mission :The Museum promotes aviation education, research and American aviation heritage...

 in Dallas, Texas. (fully restored to flying condition, only one in North America)

Australia

DHC-4 Caribou A4-140
Gifted to the Australian War Memorial
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...

 in November 2009.

DHC-4 Caribou A4-152
Gifted to the Royal Australian Air Force Museum
RAAF Museum
RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second oldest air force in the world, located at RAAF Williams Point Cook. The museum displays aircraft of significance to the RAAF from its inception as the Australian Flying Corps to the present...

 in November 2009.

DHC-4 Caribou A4-159, Nose section only.
Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra.

DHC-4 Caribou A4-173
Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra.

India

DHC-4 Caribou A4-146
Exhibited at the Indian Air Force Museum
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...

, Palam.

Malaysia

DHC-4 Caribou A4-248
Exhibited at the Royal Malaysian Air Force Museum, Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur.

Specifications (DHC-4A)

See also

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK