The C-9 is a military version of the McDonnell Douglas DC-9, produced as the C-9A Nightingale for the U.S. Air Force, and the C-9B Skytrain II for the Naval Reserve and Marine Corps. The final active-duty flight of the C-9A Nightingale was in September 2005, and the Boeing C-40 Clipper is replacing the Navy Reserves aging C-9B fleet.
Overview
The C-9 fleet was located throughout the continental U.S., Europe, and Asia.
The Air Force C-9A Nightingale aircraft were used for medical evacuation (MedEvac), passenger transportation, and special missions from 1968-2005.
The C-9B aircraft provided cargo and passenger transportation as well as forward deployed air logistics support for the Navy and Marine Corps. A C-9B was chosen by NASA to replace the aging KC-135 Vomit Comet.
Many of the Navys C-9B types have a higher (114,000 lb or 52,000 kg) maximum gross take-off weight and are fitted with auxiliary fuel tanks installed in the lower cargo hold to augment the aircrafts range to nearly 2,600 nautical miles (4,200 km) for overseas missions along with tail mounted infra-red (IR) scramblers to counter heat seeking missile threats in hostile environments.
Operators
- Kuwait
- United States
- United States Air Force
- United States Marine Corps
- United States Navy
- NASA (only civilian agency to use the C-9)
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: 5 to 8
- Length: 119 ft 3 in (36.34 m)
- Wingspan: 93 ft 3 in (28.42 m)
- Height: 27 ft 5 in (8.36 m)
- Wing area: ft² (m²)
- Empty weight: lb (kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 114,000 lb (50,000 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A turbofans, 14,500 lbf each (64.5 kN) each
Performance
- Range: 2,600 nm ()
- Service ceiling 37,000 ft (11,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 3,000+ ft/min ()
- Thrust/weight: 1:3.93
