Most Famous Army Airplanes and Names of Army Airplanes

Quick Take

Army airplanes trace their history back to the very first military airplane, which was built by the Wright brothers in 1909. It was powered by a 30.6 horsepower engine. Today’s army planes include state-of-the-art aircraft made by manufacturers like Gulfstream.

On this page

Introduction - What Are Army Airplanes

The Army airplanes in service today are mostly cargo / transport airplanes, though the U.S. Army does use reconnaissance airplanes and utility airplanes.

Non-combat planes in the Army are often based on civilian models , which are modified for military use. One of the most famous was the Douglas

DC-3 airliner, which became the C-47 Skytrain. Even the humble two-seat Piper J3 Cub has a military incarnation. It was called the L-4 liaison and was used for training. Neither of these is still used for Army airplanes, but today’s Army aircraft are based on civilian planes too.

Designation

Cargo / transport army airplanes used today include (alphabetically): the C-12 Huron, Gulfstream C-20, C-23 Sherpa, C-26 Metroliner, C-31 Troopship, and the Gulfstream C-37. The RC-12 Huron is used for intelligence and reconnaissance, and the Cessna UC-35 is used as a utility plane for special transport needs.

The designations for Army airplanes start with “C” for cargo (even though they also carry personnel). A prefix of R stands for “reconnaissance,” and U stands for “utility.”

Some Examples of Army Airplanes

The C-12 Huron is the Army’s version of the Beechcraft Super King Air. Now made by Raytheon (which used to be Beech Aircraft), it’s a high performance twin engine turboprop that has room for a pilot, co-pilot, and up to 13 passengers. It’s used for medical evacuation, embassy transport, passenger, and light cargo transport.

The Gulfstream C-20E used by the Army as an Operational Support Airlift is a twin-engine turbofan aircraft with a stretched fuselage / redesigned wing version of the C-20. It’s powered by two Rolls Royce Spey Mark 511-8 engines.

The C-23 Sherpa, built by Short Brothers, is stubby and slow, but it’s invaluable for intra-theater cargo and personnel transport. It can carry 20 people, or three cargo pallets and sips fuel compared to other transport options.

The Fairchild C-26 is a metal, low-wing twin turboprop powered by two Allied Signal TPE331-12 engines. It can accommodate cargo, passengers, or both, with a maximum payload capacity of just over 5,000 lbs.

C-31

The C-31 Troopship is actually a modified Fokker F-27 Friendship, made in Norway. It is considered the closest thing the Army has to a replacement for the famed DC-3. They started out being used for the U.S. Army Parachute Team, but more were eventually bought for troop transport.

The C-37 is a twin-engine turbofan powered by BMW/Rolls Royce BR710A1-10 engines . It holds a crew and 12 passengers. It’s mostly used for special air missions and transporting high-ranking DoD officials.

The RC-12 Huron is the reconnaissance version of the C-12 Huron.

The Cessna UC-35 is a utility Army plane. It holds 7 to 8 passengers, and uses two Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D-5D turbofan engines.