×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Infantry Arms Warships & Submarines Military Pay Chart (2023) Military Ranks
Advertisements
HOME
AIRCRAFT / AVIATION
MODERN AIR FORCES
COUNTRIES
MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE
BY CONFLICT
BY TYPE
BY DECADE
BERLIN AIRLIFT
COLD WAR
KOREAN WAR
STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND
VIETNAM WAR
Aviation / Aerospace

Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter


Transport Aircraft [ 1944 ]



The C-97 Stratofreighter was a critical product for both Boeing and the US military throughout the 1950s and 1960s.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/18/2017 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Advertisements
A post-World War 2 design, the C-97 was developed by The Boeing Company from its Model 367 product - a military-minded transport airframe originating from the successful Boeing B-29/B-50 Superfortress heavy bomber design. As such, many of the design elements found on the B-29/B-50 are apparent in the C-97 including the wings and tail sections. The C-97 saw service during the Berlin Airlift (1949) and in the Korea War (1950-1953), for the latter primarily utilized to shuttle casualties, sometimes at tree-top altitudes to avoid enemy eyes. Others were eventually stationed as air command posts and in-flight refueling tankers for Strategic Air Command (SAC). 60 x C-97's were built over the span of a decade. First flight was on November 9th , 1944 as one of three XC-97 prototypes while the final C-97 was retired from service in 1978. The C-97 gave good service during its time aloft, totaling 888 examples when including all of its available variants beyond the standard C-97. The 377 Stratocruiser was the civilian passenger transport of the C-97. 56 of these aircraft were completed and operated by Pan Am, BOAC and Northwest. The Aero Spacelines "Pregnant Guppy", "Super Guppy" and "Mini Guppy" are all based on the Model 367/C-97.

Externally, the C-97 was designed as a mammoth aircraft with a lengthy wingspan mounting four engines, a deep-volume ("double-lobed") fuselage and a traditional empennage. The flight deck was situated in an elevated position at the extreme front of the aircraft. The deep fuselage allowed for various internal arrangements to be had. Each wing managed two engine nacelles along their leading edge. Power was served through 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-4360B Wasp Major radial piston engines delivering 3,500 horsepower each while powering four-bladed propellers. The aircraft could reach a top speed of 375 miles per hour and cruise at 300 miles per hour up to a ceiling of 35,000 feet and range out to 4,300 miles. Internally, the pressurized cargo hold could house 96 infantry or 69 medical patients with staff. In the air tanker role, the C-97 was instead outfitted with large fuel stores which fed awaiting aircraft via a single directional boom at the base of the tail. The cargo hold was accessed through clamshell doors along the belly of the fuselage. The undercarriage was fully retractable and consisted of a double-wheeled nose leg and twin-wheeled main legs. A radar was housed in a chin radome which immediately differentiated the design from the similar 377 Stratocruiser series. The standard operating crew (in basic C-97 transport configuration) was two pilots, a navigator and a flight engineer.©MilitaryFactory.com
Advertisements
The C-97 was undoubtedly a large aircraft. Its wingspan measured over 141 feet and the fuselage was over 110 feet long. Height was listed at over 38 feet. When empty, the C-97 displaced at 82,500lbs and this ballooned to 175,000lbs when under full load.

Cargo evaluation versions existed under the YC-97 designation and six were produced. The YV-97A was an evaluation troop transport of which three were manufactured and the YV-97B was an evaluation type featuring passenger seating for 80 though only one example was converted as such. The initial production model was the C-97A of which 50 were delivered. Three were converted to the air tanker role as the KC-97A and then returned to C-97A standard after testing. The C-97C was a MEDEVAC variant built from 14 C-97A models during the Korean War. The C-97E was a transport as was the C-97F. Both of these were born from the KC-97E and KC-97F air tankers (60 and 159 built respectively). The KC-97G was another air tanker in 592 examples then converted into 135 KC-97G transport. 81 KC-97Gs were converted as troop transports under the C-97K designation. The C-97 existed in many other specialized forms including training, search and rescue (SAR), turbojet testbed and ELINT.

Operators of the C-97 (beyond the United States) went on to include Israel and Spain. Ex-USAF airframes found their way to the Air National Guard as transports while others found their way into private hands. Some has survived as restored/protected museum pieces.©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.
Advertisements

Specifications



Service Year
1944

Origin
United States national flag graphic
United States

Crew
4

Production
60
UNITS


National flag of Israel National flag of Spain National flag of the United States Israel; Spain; United States
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Special-Mission: Airborne Early Warning (AEW)
Specially-equipped platform providing over-battlefield Command and Control (C2) capability for allied aerial elements.
Special-Mission: Electronic Warfare (EW)
Equipped to actively deny adversaries the ElectroMagnetic (EM) spectrum and protect said spectrum for allied forces.
Special-Mission: MEDical EVACuation (MEDEVAC)
Extraction of wounded combat or civilian elements by way of specialized onboard equipment and available internal volume or external carrying capability.
Aerial Refueling (Tanker)
Dedicated or converted airframe used to deliver fuel to awaiting allied aircraft.
Transport
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.


Length
110.6 ft
(33.70 m)
Width/Span
141.4 ft
(43.10 m)
Height
38.4 ft
(11.70 m)
Empty Wgt
82,453 lb
(37,400 kg)
MTOW
176,370 lb
(80,000 kg)
Wgt Diff
+93,917 lb
(+42,600 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter production variant)
Installed: 4 x Pratt & Whitney R-4360B "Wasp Major" radial piston engines developing 3,500 horsepower each.
Max Speed
375 mph
(603 kph | 326 kts)
Ceiling
35,007 ft
(10,670 m | 7 mi)
Range
4,350 mi
(7,000 km | 12,964 nm)


♦ 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


(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter 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.


Supported Types




(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Model 367 - Boeing Product Designation
XC-97 - Prototype Model based on Model 367; three examples completed.
YC-97 - Evaluation cargo transports; six examples.
YC-97A - Evaluation troop transport; three examples.
YC-97B - Evaluation passenger transport; seating for 80.
C-97A - Initial Transport Model; 50 examples
KC-97A - Aerial Tanker; three converted from C-97A stocks for testing, then returned to C-97A standard.
C-97C - MEDEVAC variant; 14 x C-97A conversions
VC-97D - VIP transport; 4 conversions - 1 x YC-97A, 2 x C-97A and 1 x YC-97B.
C-97E - Transports converted from KC-97E
KC-97E - Aerial tanker; 60 examples
C-97F - Transports converted from KC-97F
KC-97F - Aerial tanker; fitted with P&W R-4360-59B engines of 3,800 horsepower.
C-97G - Transports converted from KC-97G; 135 examples.
EC-97G - ElINT model; converted from three KC-97G
KC-97G - Hybrid aerial tanker/transport model; 592 examples.
GKC-97G - Training model; five examples from KC-97G.
JKC-97G - Turbojet engine testbed; single example; later becoming KC-97L.
HC-97G - Search and Rescue platform; 22 examples.
KC-97H - Experimental aerial tanker; converted from KC-97F; single example.
YC-97J - Proposed aerial tanker; two examples converted from KC-97G.
C-97K - Troop transport; from KC-97G
KC-97L - KC-97G models with 2 x J47 turbojet engines underwing; 81 examples.


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 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


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery



1 / 1
Image of the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter


Advertisements




Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies


2023 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.

View day-by-day actions of the American Civil War with CivilWarTimeline.net. View day-by-day actions of World War II with SecondWorldWarHistory.com.


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