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The McDonnell Douglas C-9 is a military version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 airliner. It was produced as the C-9A Nightingale for the United States Air Force, and the C-9B Skytrain II for the U.S. Naval Reserve and Marine Corps. The final active-duty flight of the C-9A Nightingale was in September 2005,[1] and the C-40 Clipper is replacing the Navy Reserve's aging C-9B fleet.[2][3]
In 1966, the U.S. Air Force identified a need for an aeromedical transport aircraft and ordered C-9A Nightingale aircraft the following year. Deliveries began in 1968,[4] and the C-9As were used for medical evacuation, passenger transportation, and special missions from 1968 to 2005. The C-9A aircraft were named for English social reformer Florence Nightingale (1820–1910), the founder of modern nursing.[5]
After selecting a modified DC-9 for passenger and cargo transport, the U.S. Navy ordered its first five C-9Bs in April 1972.[4] The C-9B aircraft have provided cargo and passenger transportation as well as forward deployed air logistics support for the Navy and Marine Corps. (The original "Skytrain" was the famous C-47 of the World War II era, developed from the civilian DC-3.) A C-9B was also chosen by NASA for reduced gravity research,[6] replacing the aging KC-135 Vomit Comet.
Many of the Navy's C-9Bs have a higher maximum gross take-off weight of 114,000 lb (52,000 kg) and are fitted with auxiliary fuel tanks installed in the lower cargo hold to augment the aircraft's range to nearly 2,600 nautical miles (4,800 km) for overseas missions along with tail mounted infra-red scramblers to counter heat seeking missile threats in hostile environments.
The C-9 fleet was located throughout the continental U.S., Europe, and Asia.[7]
United States Air Force
United States Navy C-9B
United States Marine Corps C-9B
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Data from Encyclopedia of World Air Power[4]
Performance
Douglas DC-2, Douglas C-47 Skytrain, Douglas C-54 Skymaster, Douglas A-20 Havoc, Douglas DC-6
Douglas DC-3, Australia, Aviation Safety Network, Germany, United Kingdom
United States Army, United States Department of Defense, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy, United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard, War of 1812, American Civil War, United States Army, United States Marine Corps
Delta Air Lines, McDonnell Douglas MD-80, Boeing 717, McDonnell Douglas MD-90, Northwest Airlines
South Vietnam, Philippines, World War II, Vietnam War, South Korea
NAS Whidbey Island, NAS Oceana, NAS North Island, NAS Lemoore, Ea-18g
Douglas DC-3, United States Air Force, Royal Netherlands Air Force, Saudi Arabia, McDonnell Douglas DC-10
Douglas DC-3, United States Navy, United States Air Force, Douglas DC-2, Boeing