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de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou

1959 COLD WAR VIETNAM WAR

De Havilland Canada DHC-4 Reindeer History

The

Caribou series proved to be so effective as a battlefield transport aircraft that many were put into service after the capture of the C-7 in North Vietnamese hands. The model continued to enter service in limited numbers, serving with the Australian Army in East Timor until 2000.

By 1973, more than 300 examples of the reindeer series had been produced.

The Caribou is a twin-engine design undertaken by de Havilland Canada as a private project hoping to appeal to the armed forces of Canada and the United States of America. The original design, known as the DHC-4, was developed with short take-off and landing (STOL) capability in mind, while also being a naturally robust design most attractive to the U.S.

Army, which later ordered five ratings Model, such as YAC -1. The reindeer thus evolved into the production model of the AC-1 series, which later became the CV-2. When the USAF took control of the Caribou aircraft in early 1967, the name changed again to the more recognizable C-7 series.

The heart of the Caribou is powered by two 1,450 hp (DHC-4) Pratt & Whitney engines. The engine is mounted on a high-wing/straight-wing monoplane assembly that allows for optimal ground clearance around the fuselage, especially for a three-blade propeller system. A large cargo door is mounted aft of the fuselage, and a single rudder stern assembly extends above the cargo door.

The cargo hold is very large and can transport 32 soldiers, 22 medical evacuees, 2 cars or up to 4 tons of cargo for equipment, supplies or artillery systems.

Eventually, the United States became the largest operator of the Caribou system, which is jointly operated by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force. Australia operates (and continues to do so in some cases) of the genre with countries such as Canada, Spain, Colombia and India.

The system proved very capable on the harsh Vietnam front and was a highly regarded vehicle due to its ability to land on short runways to provide supplies/manpower and recover the wounded.