C-141B

C-141B About

 The C-141A could carry ten standard 463L master pallets and had a total cargo capacity of 62,700 lb. (28,900 kg). It could also carry specialized cargo, such as the Minuteman missile. In service, the C-141 proved to "bulk out" before it "massed out," meaning that it often had additional lift capacity that went wasted because the cargo hold was too full. To correct the perceived deficiencies of the original model and utilize the C-141 to the fullest of its capabilities, the entire fleet of 270 in-service C-141As was stretched, adding needed payload volume.

In October 1973, the aircraft’s one shortcoming nearly cost America her most important Middle Eastern ally – Israel. As the U.S. prepared to send supplies to Israeli troops fighting the Yom Kippur War, her European allies, fearing a cessation of their oil supplies from Arab nations, refused to allow C-141s to land and refuel. While Portugal eventually let the Starlifters land in the Azores, saving Israel, the incident demonstrated the need for an aerial refueling capability. In April 1977, Air Force officials at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (WR-ALC), Robins AFB, Georgia, turned again to Lockheed to modify the fleet. Congress provided $641 million for the project, but the two parties concluded an incentive-laden contract totaling $458 million, far below projection. The agreement called for converting 270 A models into “stretch” B models. Since the C-141A engines were more powerful than the fuselage required, adding size and weight would not affect engine performance or speed.

The first C-141 converted to the "B" configuration was aircraft 66-0186. 

C-141B in the beginning

In December 1975, the 437 MAW ferried one of its C-141A Starlifters, tail number 66-0186, to Warner Robins, Georgia, for Project Pacer Plug. This project stretched the C-141 23 feet (13 forward and 10 aft of the wings) and modified its fuel system, which increased its payload capacity without drastic power plant changes and increased its range with in-flight refueling.

Air Force Order of Battle, Created: 25 Sep 2010, Updated: Sources AFHRA

Extended Starlifter – Dubbed the YC-141B, this “stretched” C-141 is 23 1/3 feet longer than the standard C-141 in the background and can carry 13,00 pounds more cargo. The experimental aircraft was rolled out recently at the Lockheed-George plant near Dobbins AFB, GA  8 Jan. 1977.

First Flight of the C-141B

First C-141B Flight Crew

After building and testing the YC-141B prototype for two years, production began in early 1979. The B models rolled off the assembly lines from 4 December 1979 to 29 June 1982. Lockheed housed the production line in their Marietta, Georgia factory, where employees separated the aircraft fore and aft of the wing and added a 160-inch plug forward and 120-inch plug aft, lengthening the plane by 23 feet, 4 inches.. This increased its cargo capacity from 7,019 cubic feet to 9,190 cubic feet, equivalent to building 90 new “A” models at a fraction of the price. Lockheed also added a universal air refueling receptacle, facilitating long, non-stop airlift missions. A universal air refueling receptacle on the C-141B transfers 23,592 gallons (89,649.6 liters) of fuel in about 26 minutes, allowing longer non-stop flights and fewer fuel stops during worldwide airlift missions.

First C-141B Delivery to the Military Airlift Command

The first delivered C-141B to the Military Airlift Command (MAC) was 66-0176. On 4 Dec 1979, 66-0176 was flown to Charleston AFB from the Lockheed plant in Marietta, Georgia.  A Lockheed pilot was in the left seat, and the commander of MAC, General Robert E. Huyser, was in the right seat. Also, on this first flight of the C-141B was Major General Brown from the 22nd Air Force and 21st Air Force Commander Major General Tom Sadler.

 57th MAS crew members on this flight were ACM Pilots Lt. Col. Burt Emmett & Maj. Jerry McKimmey. Primary crew flight engineers were Senior Master Sergeant Paul Zender & Master Sergeant Billy Black, and MSgt Larry Giles was the loadmaster.

The aircraft (66-0176 would remain at Charleston for approximately two weeks of operational test and evaluation (OT&E).  It left Charleston on 21 December 1979 for delivery to the 443 MAW and 57th MAS at Altus.

The 57th Military Airlift Squadron pilots selected as initial cadre on the C-141B were Lt. Col. Burt Emmett, Maj. Jerry McKimmey, Capt Jim Boyd, and Capt Pete Moates.

C-141B Training Program

C-141B Capability Proven

The C-141 fleet flew seven million reliable flying hours from 1982 to 2006. From the day the first Starlifter rolled out until the last one (Serial No. 65-0248) completed Programmed Depot Maintenance (PDM) on 16 October 2003, the WR-ALC sustained the C-141s. 

In its new configuration, the Starlifter continued to perform low-altitude delivery of personnel and equipment and high-altitude delivery of paratroops, retaining the ability to airdrop equipment and supplies using the container delivery system. It was the first aircraft designed to be compatible with the 463L Material Handling System, which permitted off-loading 68,000 pounds of cargo, refueling, and fully reloading in less than an hour. 

In the fall of 1990, at the outset of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, a C-141B from the 437th Military Airlift Wing, Charleston AFB, South Carolina, was the first American aircraft to arrive in Saudi Arabia. C-141s flew the most airlift missions during the war – 7,047 out of 15,800. They carried more than 41,400 passengers and 139,600 tons of cargo. After the war, Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Force Reserve (AFRC) units received C-141s. The Air Force Reserve, through its associate units, provided 50 percent of the Starlifter’s crews, 84 percent of its maintenance capability, and more than 30 percent of AMC’s peacetime missions.