Northrop YC-125 Raider

Northrop YC-125 Raider Story

Northrop established itself in aviation in 1939, just before the official start of World War II (1939-1945), before becoming the focus of what is now Northrop Grumman Before the company, it was involved in a large number of aircraft development. Immediately after the end of hostilities in 1945, the company relocated to ensure operations in a more difficult peacetime environment, resulting in the development of the three-engine "Short Takeoff and Landing" (STOL) platform, designated the N-23. Pioneer".

This unique high-wing design had all the good qualities of a useful military aircraft and was therefore adopted by the United States Air Force (USAF) as the N-32 "Raider". 23 were produced from 1949 to 1950.

In true triple-engine fashion, the aircraft has a radial engine mounted in the nose, with the remaining two integrated into each wing main aircraft element. Members have been shoulder mounted for better lift and control at low speed/low altitude. The hull is made deep for maximum internal volume. The flight deck is located above and behind the nose in the usual way.

The tail includes a rudder with a center-mounted horizontal plane. Ground walking can be carried out by means of a tail tow device, with main legs attached to each wing main aircraft.

A crew of 4 is normally used to operate this machine, which can carry 36 passengers. Instead of personnel, the plane was allowed to carry about five tons of military cargo at a distance. The overall length reaches 67 feet, the wingspan is 86.5 feet, and the height is 23 feet.

Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) is rated at 42,000 lbs.

It is powered by 3 Wright R-1820-99 Cyclone 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, each producing 1,200 horsepower. The system drives a three-blade constant-speed propeller in a conventional tractor arrangement. Performance specs include a top speed of 207 mph, a cruising speed of nearly 170 mph, a range of up to 1,855 miles, and a service ceiling of up to 12,200 feet.

The aircraft's already excellent short-field performance can be further enhanced by single-use Jet Assisted Takeoff (JATO) missiles.

The original Pioneer first flew 21 December 1946 (the only example crashed while testing a new rudder in February 1948), and the YC-125 Predator flew 1 August 1949 The U.S. Air Force commissioned 13 Raiders to meet troop transport standards, designated C-125A, while the remaining 10 will be built as C-125Bs for Arctic rescue platforms (with ski gear support).

However, these never went beyond their development designations YV-125A or YC-125B.

The Raider was commissioned by the US Air Force in 1950, but was retired as early as 1955 due to shipping constraints. They were used as trainers until the end of their service in the USAF and eventually sold to customers in Central and South America, where their skills could be put to good use in a STOL environment.

The CL-3 (which will become the CL-12 in service) is a proposed model being built in Canada by Air Canada. The main difference was the use of a Pratt & Whitney R-1820 series engine, but this model was never flown.

Specification

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