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C-40A CLIPPER
Wing span: 112 feet 7 inches
Length: 110 feet 4 inches
Height: 41 feet 2 inches
Cruise Speed: 0.78 to 0.82 Mach
Maximum Altitude: 41,000 feet
Max. Range: 3,800 nautical miles
Max. Load: 121 passengers or 40,000 pounds
Max. takeoff weight: 171,000 pounds
Power plant: Two General Electric CFM56-7 engines
Thrust (max. sea level static): 24,000 pounds each
Fuel capacity: 6,875 gal.
Contractor: Boeing
The Clipper has arrived. No, it's not a Pan Am Clipper that flew
in the late 1930s arriving through a time warp. This Clipper is
the Navy's new C-40A transport. The only thing it has in common
with its historic namesake is the manufacturer, Boeing.
During a 9 September 2000 ceremony at Boeing Field in Seattle,
Wash., the first new Navy aircraft to bear the name Clipper was
rolled out in front of several hundred visitors. This newest edition
to the Navy's inventory will eventually replace the Naval Reserve's
aging fleet of C-9 and DC-9 Skytrain IIs.
"Close to 25 percent of our C-9s are more than 30 years
old," said Rear Admiral John B. Totushek, Commander of Naval
Reserve Forces. "The Clipper will take over their mission
of providing all of the Navy's intra-theater medium and heavy
airlift." With a greater range and larger payload capacity,
more efficient engines and state-of-the-art avionics and cockpit
equipment, the C-40A represents a significant boost in capability
over the C-9.
The Clipper is a version of Boeing's next-generation 737-700,
the 737-700C, modified with a large cargo door and the strengthened
wings and landing gear of the 737-800. Five aircraft have been
ordered; a sixth aircraft was funded in the FY 2001 budget.
The Naval Reserve currently has seven squadrons that operate
its 27 C-9 and DC-9 aircraft, and the Marine Corps operates two
C-9s of its own. The oldest of these aircraft are 12 DC-9s that
were purchased secondhand from various airlines in the early 1980s
and then converted to fit the Navy's needs. A large cargo door
was added to each aircraft, which made it possible to convert
from a passenger to a cargo configuration easily or to have a
mix of both.
Fifteen C-9s were built for the Navy in the 1970s, the last of
them purchased during the early 1980s just as McDonnell Douglas
was shutting down its production line. In the early mid-1990s,
when the oldest C-9 was approaching 30 years of service life,
the Navy started to look for a replacement.
Upgrading the aging Skytrain II airframe with new engines and
avionics was considered, "but then we'd have new equipment
in a 30-year-old airframe," said Commander Vic Van Heest,
Branch Head for Naval Reserve Air Logistics. "That didn't
make sense." The Navy also wanted to increase the range of
its logistics aircraft to make nonstop flights from such places
as Hawaii to Japan and back to the United States, as base closures
had eliminated previously available refueling stops. In addition,
tougher noise controls being instituted in many locations in Europe
and the United States further limited the usefulness of the C-9.
A new aircraft was needed to take Navy air logistics forward.
Congress approved funding for the first four aircraft in 1997.
The 737-700 design was chosen based on the success of the 737's
reliable airframe in service since 1967. In addition, decision
makers provided wording in the law that would eventually allow
the Navy to sell some of its DC-9s to commercial carriers to help
offset the costs. To help the Navy keep the C-9s up to snuff during
the transition, many of them are receiving upgraded cockpits and
avionics that will make them safer and more viable until they
are replaced.
The C-40A is able to carry 121 passengers or 40,000 pounds of
cargo, compared with 90 passengers or 30,000 pounds for the C-9.
In addition, the maximum range for the Clipper is approximately
1,500 miles more than the C-9. The redesigned wings of the C-40A
are stronger and have an advanced-technology airfoil that provides
greater efficiency in flight. Under the wings, its General Electric
CFM-56 engines are very fuel efficient and quiet.
Even after many upgrades, C-9s still have an analog cockpit,
but the Clipper has a fully digital "glass" cockpit
that will allow for future growth. The cockpit is also fitted
with a heads-up display, allowing pilots to keep their eyes up
and outside in low-visibility approaches. One major improvement
is the C-40A's navigation system based on satellite global positioning,
which will aid in approaches to airports in Third World countries
with older, less reliable ground systems.
The cargo area in the C-40A will be available in three variations:
all passenger with a capacity of 121, all cargo with a carrying
capability of eight pallets totaling 40,000 pounds, and a combination
rig that will allow for 70 passengers and three pallets. In this
mode, the cargo compartment is sealed to protect passengers and
crews from the potential danger of hazardous cargo.
The 737-700 is assembled from 375,000 parts, which could be a
nightmare for the Navy's supply system if required to purchase
and order spares for the fleet. But, according to Cdr. Van Heest,
"We will be able to partner with private industry-airline
and cargo carriers-to purchase parts under a Contract Logistics
Supply system. A pool of parts will be created that all partners
can access quickly, and this will lower costs because we won't
have to stock millions of dollars of parts." But this is
for parts only, he added, "it is not contract maintenance.
We'll still have our Navy personnel maintaining these aircraft."
The first Clipper has been certified by the Federal Aviation
Administration, much like civilian cargo and passenger aircraft.
Because this is a commercial-off-the-shelf aircraft, and because
the value for potential resale is higher, it made sense to accept
FAA certification.
The first C-40A will be delivered in April 2001 to Fleet Logistics
Support Squadron (VR) 59, NAS JRB Fort Worth, Texas. Delivery
of the first four aircraft to VR-59 is planned for completion
by August 2001. The squadron ceased operating C-9s on 1 October
and began transition training. Although limited operations will
begin shortly after delivery of the first aircraft, VR-59 will
not be fully operational until April 2002. The fifth aircraft,
scheduled for completion in June 2002, will go to VR-58, NAS Jacksonville,
Fla., along with one of VR-59's Clippers. VRs 59 and 58 will operate
three and two aircraft, respectively, until more are procured.
Eventually, each squadron will have four C-40As. At that time,
a third site will be selected to receive Clippers.
Although the Naval Reserve believes that a one-for-one replacement
of the C-9 is the best way to continue to accomplish the Navy's
medium- and heavy-lift mission, plans have not been finalized.
A study is underway to determine future needs, and aircraft buys
will be based on those results.
No matter what the number turns out to be, the new Clipper has
the right stuff to perform the Navy's logistics mission well into
the future.
Return to Acepilots home page. Return to Current Naval Aircraft
16 November 2000
This document and images from the public domain, courtesy of the US Navy Historical Center
.
