Budd Conestoga (RB-1 / C-93)

Military Transport Aircraft [ 1944 ]

Though twenty of the ground-breaking Budd RB Conestoga transports were built during the fighting of World War 2, the type was not deployed to combat theaters.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 12/21/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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When the United States committed to the fighting of World War 2 (1939-1945) in December of 1941, it forced local industries to push harder than ever to fulfill the great demand that would be required of the conflict. Warships, guns, bombs, aircraft, tanks - any and all war-making items were sought to equip the American warfighter with the best chance to succeed in the field. To facilitate to moving of huge amounts of supplies from Point A to Point B, a sizeable air-transport force was also required.

However, resources needed for immediate results - such as combat fighters and strategic bombers - caused a fear amongst warplanners of shortages (namely aluminum) that would have crippled the war effort to varying degrees. As such, engineers were called to find alternate forms of construction, namely involving airplanes, and the Budd "Conestoga" was one of the more unique products of the period in this regard.

The high-winged transport was built by the Budd Company of Philadelphia, a company initially centered on automobile body sections and stainless steel passenger cars for the railway industry. However, the call-to-war, and the potentially lucrative results that it entailed, pushed the company to become involved in fulfilling a United States Navy (USN) request for a dedicated military transport. A twin-engine configuration was chosen and, most uniquely, stainless steel skinning utilizing the Budd Company's proven "shotweld" technique, would be featured in the aircraft's construction.

The end-product fit the bill - the high-winged arrangement would help the twin engines' propellers clear the ground while also providing for the needed lift/drag at low operating speeds. The tail was raised to allow access to the cargo hold within the fuselage (accessed by a electrically-lowered ramp door under the tail unit). The flight deck took up the usual position overlooking the nose and the tail utilized a single vertical fin with low-set horizontal planes. The bulging cockpit housed three crewmembers (two pilots and a navigator). A retractable tricycle landing gear was fitted for ground-running. Despite its reference as an all-metal, stainless steel aircraft, it used fabric skinning at the control surfaces and at the aft-sections of the mainplanes to save on complexity, weight, and procurement/production costs.

The engine-of-choice became 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 air-cooled, 14-cylinder, twin-row radial engines driving three-bladed propellers (Hamilton Standard types) and outputting 1,200 horsepower each. Each unit was installed under each wing mainplane. Performance included a maximum speed of 200 miles per hour, a cruising speed near 165 mph and a range out to 700 miles.©MilitaryFactory.com

Dimensions included an overall length of 68 feet with a wingspan of 100 feet and a height of 31.8 feet. The aircraft held an empty weight of 20,155lb against an MTOW of 33.900lb.

Internally, the aircraft could house up to 24 combat-ready paratroopers or 24 medical litters with accompanying medical staff. Beyond this, the hold could also accommodate a single 1-1.5 ton military truck or equivalent in paletted cargo (tested up to 10,400lb).

The aircraft, in prototype form, went into the air for the first time on October 31st, 1943. Two additional prototypes followed this and the trio were ultimately used to cover various phases of the testing/evaluation period. It was shown to be complex and expensive to manufacture the steel needed for the hauler and the aircraft remained underpowered while also fuel-thirsty given its role of strategic transporting.

Early on, USN authorities believed in the product enough to have contracted for 200 units under the "RB-1" designation and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) followed suit by committing to 600 units, these to operate under the "C-93" designation. However, with its testing and production difficulties, and the growing availability of aluminum for American aero-industry plants, the need for a stainless steel transport became novel to the point that the USN drastically reduced its order to just 25 units while the Army cancelled its order outright. First deliveries to the USN were had in March of 1944 and a total of seventeen were ultimately operated as RB-1s - serving for only a short time and removed from the active inventory as soon as early-1945. These went on to end their days in the civilian marketplace by way of war surplus sale.

Several lessons learned in the development of the Conestoga were influential in military transport design of subsequent decades - including the high-winged mainplanes, elevated tail section, and powered cargo ramp door. The modern, and commercially/militarily successful Lockheed C-130 "Hercules" is a classic example of this transport aircraft arrangement.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1944

Origin

United States

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

2

Production

20
UNITS

Budd Company - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Brazil (civilian market); United States (retired)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Transport
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.

Length

68.1 ft
(20.75 m)

Width/Span

100.0 ft
(30.48 m)

Height

31.8 ft
(9.68 m)

Empty Wgt

20,161 lb
(9,145 kg)

MTOW

33,951 lb
(15,400 kg)

Wgt Diff

+13,790 lb
(+6,255 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Budd RB-1 Conestoga production variant)

Installed: 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 air-cooled radial piston engines developing 1,200 horsepower each.

Max Speed

197 mph
(317 kph | 171 kts)

Range

699 mi
(1,125 km | 2,083 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Budd RB-1 Conestoga production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

None. Capability to ferry 24 paratroopers or 24 medical litters with medical staff OR up to 9,600lb of cargo OR 1 x 1.5-ton military vehicle.

Supported Types

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

"Conestoga" - Base Series Name; three prototypes completed.

RB-1 - US Navy designation; 200 originally under contract reduced to just 17 examples before war's end.

C-93 - USAAF designation; 600 under contract eventually cancelled.

General Assessment

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.

Overall Rating

The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.

50

Rating is out of a possible 100 points.

Relative Maximum Speed

Hi: 200mph

Lo: 100mph

This entry's maximum listed speed (197mph).

Graph average of 150 miles-per-hour.

City-to-City Ranges

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Budd RB-1 Conestoga operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

Aviation Era Span

Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.

Unit Production (20)

20

36183

44000

Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).

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Images Gallery

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Image of the Budd Conestoga (RB-1 / C-93)

Image from the Public Domain.

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