×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Chart (2024) Special Forces
HOME
AVIATION INDEX
MODERN AIR FORCES
AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY
AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE AIRCRAFT
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT
AIRCRAFT BY TYPE
AIRCRAFT BY DECADE
COLD WAR AIRCRAFT
MODERN AIRCRAFT
Aviation / Aerospace

Short Model 360


Light Utility Transport Aircraft [ 1982 ]



Just 165 of the robust Short Brothers Model 360 fixed-wing transports were produced from 1981 until 1991.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/02/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
The aero-concern of Short Brothers was established as far back as 1908 and was based out of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Since its humble beginnings, the company took part in production efforts centered around World War 1 (1914-1918), the inter-war period, World War 2 (1939-1945), and the long-running Cold War (1947-1991) and has managed to continue operations today (2019). One of their more modern offerings, appearing during the Cold War period, became the Short "Model 360", a twin-turboprop utility-minded passenger/freight hauler that saw modest success globally. A first-flight, in developmental form, of the this aircraft was recorded on June 1st, 1981.

Certified in September of 1981, the Model 360 was introduced in November of the following year and production went on to span from 1981 until 1991 to which 165 total units were built and delivered to operators ranging from Argentina and Australia to the United Kingdom and the United States. Both the United States (Army and Air Force) and Venezuela (Air Force) have used, or continue to use, the product militarily.

The Model 360's commercial marketplace launch customer became Suburban Airlines.

At its core, the Model 360 is a further evolution of the earlier Short Brothers "Model 330" which first-flew in August of 1974 and was introduced in 1976. Offshoots of this entry have included the United States Army and Air Force's C-23A/B "Sherpa" derivative.

The utilitarian-centric nature of the Model 360 is embodied by its equally-utilitarian design approach which is highly conventional. The cockpit is situated over the nose in the usual way while the sharply-sloped nose design provides exceptional views for the piloting crew of two (seated side-by-side) in the cockpit. The passenger section takes up most of the internal space of the aircraft and is concentrated at center mass with rectangular window ports lining either side of the fuselage. Hinged access doors are positioned fore and aft. The fuselage itself sports a slab-sided appearance giving the aircraft a wholly boxy and utilitarian appearance.

The mainplanes are straight-edged and considerably slim, braced by a support structure running from the main landing gear housing to the wing's midway span. Each mainplane is home to a single turboprop engine housed in an underslung nacelle. The engines drive six-bladed propeller units (Model 360-300). Power is from 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65AR turboprops developing 1,425 horsepower each.

Performance specs (Model 360-300) include a maximum speed of 250 miles-per-hour, a cruising speed near 210 mph, a range out to 990 miles, a service ceiling of 20,000 feet, and a rate-of-climb up to 955 feet-per-minute. The strength of this aircraft class is in range and hauling capability which the Model 360 provides.

The high-winged nature of the design encourages good lifting principles which aid in low-and-slow flying while also reducing take-off and landing runs. It also clears the spinning propellers of debris intake and personnel when ground-running.

The undercarriage is of conventional arrangement incorporating a short single-wheeled nose leg and short main landing gear legs. The latter are housed in streamlined fairings for aerodynamic efficiency as the none of the legs are retractable in the design. The short nature of the legs gives the aircraft low ground clearance.

The tail unit is comprised of a single vertical fin with low-mounted horizontal planes. The empennage tapers upwards to help clear the tail unit during take-offs.

Variants of the Model 360 line include the initial Model 360-100 production models (powered by PWC PT6A-65R turboprops followed by the Model 360 "Advanced" of 1985 with its uprated PT6A065AR (1,424shp) engines (these became the "Model 360-200" in 1985). The Model 360-300 appeared in March of 1987 with uprated PT6A-67R series turboprops driving six-bladed propeller units which led to enhanced performance specs. The Model 360-300F was introduced as a dedicated freighter form based in the Model 360-300 passenger hauler. A militarized variant was taken into service by the U.S. Armed Forces as the aforementioned C-23 "Sherpa".©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



Short Brothers - UK
Manufacturer(s)
Argentina; Australia; Aruba; Canada; China; Costa Rica; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Dominican Republic; West Germany; Germany; Greece; Guam; Guatemala; Guernsey; Honduras; Ireland; Israel; Nicaragua; Panama; Philippines; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Seychelles; Thailand; United Kingdom; United States; Venezuela
Operators National flag of Argentina National flag of Australia National flag of Canada National flag of China National flag of the Dominican Republic National flag of modern Germany National flag of Greece National flag of Ireland National flag of Israel National flag of Nicaragua National flag of the Philippines National flag of Portugal National flag of Thailand National flag of the United Kingdom National flag of the United States National flag of Venezuela
1982
Service Year
United Kingdom
National Origin
Active
Project Status
2
Crew
165
Units


TRANSPORT
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.
SPECOPS
Serving Special Forces / Special Operations elements and missions.


70.9 ft
(21.60 meters)
Length
74.8 ft
(22.80 meters)
Width/Span
23.8 ft
(7.25 meters)
Height
17,350 lb
(7,870 kilograms)
Empty Weight
27,117 lb
(12,300 kilograms)
Maximum Take-Off Weight
+9,766 lb
(+4,430 kg)
Weight Difference


2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67R turboprop engines developing 1,425 horsepower each driving six-bladed propeller units.
Propulsion
292 mph
(470 kph | 254 knots)
Max Speed
20,013 ft
(6,100 m | 4 miles)
Ceiling
733 miles
(1,180 km | 637 nm)
Range
955 ft/min
(291 m/min)
Rate-of-Climb


MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


None.


Model 360 - Base Series Designation.
Model 360-100 - Initial production form; fitted with PWC PT6A-65R turboprops.
Model 360 "Advanced" - PWC PT6A-65AR turboprops of 1,424shp each (becoming the 360-200 in 1985).
Model 360-200 - Redesignation of the Model 360 Advanced.
Model 360-300 - PWC PT6A-67R turboprops with six-bladed propeller units offering improved performance.
Model 360-300F - Freighter variant of the 360-300.
C-23 "Sherpa" - U.S. military model


Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway
Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift
Military lapel ribbon for the Chaco War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War
Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War
Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor
Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for Special Forces
Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era
Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Images



1 / 1
Image of the Short Model 360
Image from the United States Department of Defense DVIDS imagery database.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)