Curtiss C-46 Commando

<p>The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a <a href="/facts/Monoplane/2fLoovyH">low-wing</a>, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company publicity. It was used primarily as a cargo aircraft during <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>, with fold-down seating for military transport and some use in delivering paratroops. Mainly deployed by the <a href="/facts/United_States_Army_Air_Forces/0mtva6Cw">United States Army Air Forces</a>, it also served the <a href="/facts/United_States_Navy/xYK0fUou">U.S. Navy</a>/<a href="/facts/United_States_Marine_Corps/J8JDlJG2">Marine Corps</a>, which called it R5C. The C-46 filled similar roles as its Douglas-built counterpart, the <a href="/facts/Douglas_C-47_Skytrain/4gJwRTHU">C-47 Skytrain</a>, with some 3,200 C-46s produced to approximately 10,200 C-47s.
</p><p>After World War II, a few surplus C-46 aircraft were briefly used in their original role as passenger airliners but the glut of surplus C-47s dominated the marketplace and the C-46 was soon relegated to cargo duty. The type continued in U.S. Air Force service in a secondary role until 1968. The C-46 continues in operation as a rugged cargo transport for arctic and remote locations with its service life extended into the 21st century.
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Curtiss C-46 Commando open-in-new

Curtiss C-46 Commando