Thede Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo is a short takeoff and landing (STOL) utility transportturboprop aircraft developed from the earlier piston-poweredDHC-4 Caribou. The aircraft has extraordinary STOL performance and is able to take off in distances much shorter than even mostlight aircraft can manage. The aircraft was originally designed byde Havilland Canada, with the type certificate now owned bythe De Havilland Canada founded in 2019.
De Havilland's design, the DHC-5 Buffalo, was chosen as the winner of the United States Army competition in early 1963, with four DHC-5s, designatedYAC-2 (laterCV-7A and subsequentlyC-8A) ordered.[2] The first of these aircraft made its maiden flight on 9 April 1964.[3] All four aircraft were delivered in 1965, the Buffalo carrying nearly twice the payload as the Caribou while having better STOL performance. The prototype CV-7A was exhibited by the manufacturer at the 1965Paris Air Show wearing US Army markings. No further US orders followed, however, as at the start of 1967 (See theJohnson-McConnell agreement of 1966), inter-service politics led to large fixed-wing transports being transferred to theUnited States Air Force,[2] who considered themselves adequately equipped with theFairchild C-123 Provider.
Company data claims a takeoff distance over a 50 ft (15 m) obstacle of 1,210 ft (369 m) at 41,000 lb (18,597 kg) and a landing distance of over a 50 ft (15 m) obstacle of 980 ft (299 m) at 39,100 lb (17,735 kg) for the DHC-5A model.[4]
In the early 1980s, de Havilland Canada attempted to modify the Buffalo for civilian use. The aircraft was to be branded as the "Transporter." After loss of the demonstration aircraft (SN103 C-GCTC) at the 1984Farnborough Airshow,[5] the project was abandoned.
A production DHC-5D Buffalo was used for breaking time-to-height records for the weight category 12,000–16,000 kilograms (26,000–35,000 lb) on 16 February 1976, reaching 3,000 metres (9,800 ft) in 2 min 12.75 sec, 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) in 4 min 27.5 sec and 9,000 metres (30,000 ft) in 8 min 3.5 sec.[6]
On 24 February 2006,Viking Air ofVictoria, British Columbia, a manufacturer of replacement parts for all out-of-production de Havilland Canada aircraft, purchased the type certificates from Bombardier Aerospace for all versions of the DHC-1 through DHC-7 series aircraft, giving Viking exclusive rights to manufacture and sell new aircraft of those types. In December 2008, Viking Air indicated their intention to put the Buffalo series back into production at their home factory in Victoria, British Columbia or inCalgary, Alberta. A potential new production Buffalo would have hadPratt & Whitney Canada PW150 turboprops, aglass cockpit,enhanced vision andnight vision goggle capability. The aircraft was proposed as a replacement for theRoyal Canadian Air Force fleet of existing DHC-5As but was not one of the three aircraft in the final assessment, in 2016, which selected theEADS CASA C-295.[7][8] Severalletters of intent for the DHC-5NG were received in 2014.[9]
TheRoyal Canadian Air Force first acquired 15 DHC-5A designated asCC-115 for tactical transports. These were initially operated at CFB St Hubert, QC byNo. 429 Squadron in a tactical aviation role as part of Mobile Command. In 1970, the Buffalo aircraft were transferred to a transport and rescue role withNo. 442 Squadron,No. 413 Squadron andNo. 424 Squadron as part of Transport Command.No. 426 Squadron also flew the aircraft for training. Some were leased back or loaned back to the factory for trials and eventually returned to military service.
Three of the aircraft were also deployed on UN missions to theMiddle East with No. 116 Transport Unit until 1979. They had a white paint scheme which was retained while they were serving in domestic transport with 424 Sqn in between deployments. On 9 August 1974,Canadian Forces CC-115 Buffalo 115461 was shot down by aSyriansurface-to-air missile, killing all nine CF personnel on board. This represents the single biggest loss of Canadian lives on a UN mission as well as the most recent Canadian military aircraft to be shot down.
Production of theDHC-5A ended in 1972 after sales toBrazil andPeru but restarted with theDHC-5D model in 1974. This variant sold to several overseas air forces beginning withEgypt. Production of the DHC-5D ended in December 1986.[11]
In 1975, the Buffalo dropped its tactical transport role and was converted to domestic search and rescue, except for a few that kept serving on UN missions. The initial paint scheme for the SAR converted aircraft were white and red while others still had the original drab paint. The previous drab paint and white paint were eventually replaced with the distinctive yellow and red scheme commonly seen today. The number of aircraft have been reduced to eight, with six on active service, one in storage (recently dismantled) and one used for battle damage training. The remaining operational Buffalos operate in theSearch and Rescue role for No. 442 Squadron atCFB Comox. Air Command was renamed theRoyal Canadian Air Force in 2011, meaning the CC-115 has served with the RCAF, Air Command and now the RCAF once again. The Buffalo was replaced by theCC-130 Hercules aircraft at search-and-rescue bases inCFB Greenwood andCFB Trenton. As early as 2002, Canada has tried to replace both the Buffalo fleet and the SAR Hercules fleet with a newer aircraft.[12] For some time, the Alenia C-27J Spartan was seen as the likely replacement, with the government considering sole-sourcing the new aircraft.[13] However, after changes in Canada's defence budget as well as accusations of bias from the aerospace industry,[citation needed] the Buffalo replacement program was relaunched as an open competition. After review from the National Research Council, the Department of National Defence as well as consultation with the Canadian aerospace industry, a request for proposal was published in 2015.[14] Bidders includedAlenia offering theC-27J Spartan,Airbus Defence and Space with itsC-295 andEmbraer with itsKC-390. In 2016, the Department of National Defence awarded Airbus a contract for 16 C-295s with delivery scheduled to begin in 2019 and running through 2022.[12]
On 15 January 2022, the RCAF officially retired the final two operational CC-115s.[15] The last operational aircraft is preserved atCanada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa.[16]
A cooperative NASA/Canadian Government research program on augmentor wing concepts started in 1965 and culminated in the need for a proof-of-concept aircraft.ANASA C-8A Buffalo (later namedBisontennial in 1976) was modified in 1972 for augmentor-wing jet STOL research. The modifications were done byBoeing,de Havilland Canada and Rolls-Royce of Canada Ltd. The wing had a reduced span to give a wing loading representative of future aircraft. It also had full-span leading edge slats, blown ailerons and double-surface flaps enclosing a venturi-shaped passage. The usual turboprop engines were replaced withRolls-Royce Spey 801 SF (Split Flow) bypass engines with a new bypass duct which separated the hot and cold flows to provide both propulsion and augmentor airflow to the powered lift system.[17][18][19][20] The hot flow was directed through Pegasus-engine swivelling nozzles to ensure it deflected with the flap downwash. The cold flow was directed into the flap venturi and entrained extra airflow.[21] Beginning in 1972 with its first flight in this experimental configuration, this aircraft was used jointly by theNASA Ames Research Center and the CanadianDepartment of Industry, Trade and Commerce for STOL research.[19][22]
The NASA-Boeing Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, NASA used another C-8A Buffalo in the Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft program.[17][18][23]: 153 [24][25][26]
Boeing designed and installed an experimentalswept,supercritical wing incorporating aboundary layer control system.[24][25]: 8 Instead of the standard engines, this aircraft was powered by four prototypeAvco Lycoming YF102 high-bypass turbofan engines (originally from theNorthrop YA-9 program) mounted above the wing to take advantage of theCoandă effect.[25]: 9–10 In 1980, this aircraft participated in carrier trials aboardUSSKitty Hawk, demonstrating STOL performance without the use of catapults or arrestor gear.[18][23]: 154
After demonstrations by Bell aircraft using aLake LA-4 fitted with an Air Cushion Landing Gear, theUSAF and the Canadian Government wished to further explore the applications of the ACLS. They did so by retrofitting a similar system to a C-8A Buffalo.[28] The air cushion system was inflated by two underwing air supply packages consisting ofPT6F-70 turbofans powering two-stage axial flow fans. The aircraft also had underwing combination floats/skids.[29][30]
A CC-115 Buffalo of442 Transport & Rescue SquadronThe Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft (NASA 715) and C-8A Augmented Wing Jet-flap STOL Research Aircraft (NASA 716) on the maiden flight to Ames from Seattle, Washington after conversion.
DHC-5 Buffalo
Originally designed as a twin-engined STOL tactical, utility transport aircraft for theUS Army. Original US Army designationAC-2.
This is a list of former military operators.The last six RCAF Buffalos served with No. 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron based in Comox, BC, until the type was finally retired in 2022 after 55 years of service.[35]
At the 1984Farnborough Airshow, a DHC-5DSTOL demonstration ended in a very heavy landing which destroyed the aircraft.[43][44]
On 21 June 1989, aPeruvian Air Force DHC-5D Buffalo crashed into a mountain nearTarma, killing all six crew and 53 passengers in the deadliest accident involving the DHC-5 Buffalo.[45]
On 16 April 1992, aKenya Air Force DHC-5D Buffalo lost power in one of its engines, and during its final approach, it overshot the runway and crashed into a residential area nearMoi Air Base,Kenya. The accident killed all 42 passengers and four crew members and six people on the ground.[47]
^abcBuser, Wayne E."NASA Buffalos."Archived 30 October 2008 at theWayback MachineThe deHavilland Caribou (DHC-4) and Buffalo (DHC-5) Website, 2006. Retrieved: 13 September 2009.
^Rohde, Andreas. "Riding a Buffalo – with Arctic Sunwest Charters."Airways, Volume 15, No. 12, Issue 156, February 2009, pp. 30–35. ISSN 1074-4320. Note: Only two of the 126 Buffalos built were for a commercial operator – Ethiopian Airlines.
^Cooper, Tom; Grandolini, Albert (2018).Showdown in Western Sahara, Volume 1: Air Warfare Over the Last African Colony, 1945-1975. Warwick, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. p. 47.ISBN978-1-912390-35-9.
^Ranter, Harro."Accident Description".aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.Archived from the original on 19 January 2017. Retrieved18 January 2017.
^"Team Crashes".Flight International. Vol. 143, no. 4368. 11 May 1993. p. 12. Archived fromthe original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved13 September 2009.
"DHC-5D ...A Beefier Buffalo".Air International. Vol. 11, no. 2. Bromley, UK: Fine Scroll. August 1976. pp. 59–67.
Harding, Stephen (November–December 1999). "Canadian Connection: US Army Aviation's Penchant for Canadian Types".Air Enthusiast (84):72–74.ISSN0143-5450.
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