The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is a German abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium Transporter Allianz, comprising the companies of MBB, Aérospatiale, and VFW-Fokker.Aircraft, compared and contrasted, p. 145.
The C-160 was developed during the late 1950s and 1960s with the initial goal of fulfilling the requirements for a modern transport aircraft for both the French and German Air Forces. On 25 February 1963, the first prototype had its maiden flight; the type entered service four years later. Production was divided between the German and French consortium members; early on, multiple production lines were operated, but this was reorganised to use a single assembly line in Toulouse during the late 1970s. In addition to the type's domestic sales, the C-160 achieved some success on the export market; such customers included the South African Air Force and Turkish Air Force as well as a number of civilian operators.
The C-160 has had a lengthy service life, during which it has provided logistical support during numerous overseas operations, including the invasion of Cyprus, the South African Border War, and the Gulf War. Furthermore, it has adapted to fulfil several specialist roles, such as an aerial refueling tanker, electronic intelligence gathering, and as a communications platform. In French and German service, the C-160 has been replaced by the larger and newer Airbus A400M Atlas,Hewson, R. The Vital Guide to Military Aircraft 2nd edition. London: Airlife Publishing Ltd., 2001. and a small number of Lockheed-Martin C-130J Super Hercules during the early twenty-first century. Nevertheless, the C-160 remains in active service more than 60 years after the type's first flight in 1963.
Development
Origins In the late 1950s, a requirement arose to replace the piston-engined Nord Noratlas transports operated by the air forces of both France (Armée de l'Air) and Germany (Luftwaffe). Keen to encourage industrial co-operation between the two countries, as had happened under a previous arrangement in which Noratlases for German service had been built under license by Weser Flugzeugbau, France and Germany signed an agreement for the development of a Noratlas successor on 28 November 1957. The Italian government also became involved in the project early on to meet their own requirements, however Italy's participation in the fledgling program was soon terminated in favour of the smaller and locally-built Fiat G.222.
The consortium, "Transporter-Allianz" or Transall, was formed in January 1959 between the French company Nord Aviation and the German companies Weser Flugzeugbau (which became Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW) in 1964) and Hamburger Flugzeugbau (HFB) to design and build the new transport.Wilson Flight International 25 April 1968, p. 614.Pletschacher Air International June 1981, p. 286. The new aircraft was required to carry a cargo over a range of or a load of over a range of and be able to operate out of semi-prepared airstrips.Wilson Flight International 25 April 1968, pp. 614–615. One prototype was built by each of the production partners, with the first (built by Nord) flying on 25 February 1963, with the VFW and HFB-built prototypes following on 25 May 1963 and 19 February 1964.Wilson Flight International 25 April 1968, p. 615. These were followed by six pre-production examples, stretched by compared with the prototypes, which flew between 1965 and 1966.Wilson Flight International 25 April 1968, p. 616.
Production Production orders were delayed by attempts by Lockheed to sell its C-130 Hercules transport to Germany; these attempts were rebuffed, and a contract was signed for 160 C-160s (110 for Germany and 50 for France) on 24 September 1964. Manufacturing work was split between Germany and France in line with the number of orders placed; Nord built the wings and engine nacelles, VFW the centre fuselage and horizontal tail, and HFB the forward and rear fuselage. The aircraft's tail fin was to be built by Dornier. Three production lines were set up to assemble these components at each of the three main partners.
The first production airframes were delivered to France and Germany from 1967. The first batch included 110 C-160Ds for the German Air Force (Luftwaffe), 50 C-160Fs for the French Air Force, and nine C-160Zs for the South African Air Force. Four C-160Fs were converted to C-160P air mail transport aircraft, and were operated by Air France.Pletschacher Air International June 1981, p. 289. Production continued until October 1972. Britain expressed interest in both procuring and manufacturing C-160s; while talks took place between Transall, the British Aircraft Corporation, and the British Government, the C-130 was opted for instead.Wilson Flight International 25 April 1968, p. 617.
In July 1977, France placed an order for 25 aircraft to be built to an improved standard.Pletschacher Air International June 1981, p. 285. Production work for the new variant was split 50-50 between Aérospatiale (the successor to Nord) and MBB (which had absorbed VFW and HFB), with a single assembly line in Toulouse. The cargo loading door on the port side of the fuselage was replaced by provision for additional fuel tanks in the wing centre section. When fitted these tanks increased fuel capacity from to . The aircraft were also fitted with updated avionics.Pletschacher Air International June 1981, pp. 286–287. The first second generation C-160 took flight in 1981.Chant 1987, p. 472. Aircraft produced in this batch included 29 for France (an additional four non-standard aircraft were constructed for special missions), and 6 for Indonesia.Blumschein 1999, p. A26-2.
Design
Overview
The Transall C-160 is a twin-engine tactical transport featuring a cargo hold, a rear-access ramp beneath an upswept tail, a high-mounted wing and turboprop engines. The C-160 is designed to perform cargo and troop transport duties, aerial delivery of supplies and equipment and is designed to be compatible with international railway loading gauges to simplify cargo logistics and loading. In flight the cargo area is pressurised and kept at a constant temperature by integrated air conditioning systems.Wache 2004, p. 100.
Additionally, the landing gear can be partially retracted while on the ground. This lowers the C-160, making it easier to move vehicles into the hold as they don't need to climb a ramp.
One aspect of the C-160 that made the type well suited to tactical operations is its short airfield performance, including the ability to perform steep descents of up to 20 degrees and perform landings on airstrips as short as 400 meters."Transall – Strategy behind a tactical aircraft" Flight International, 1979. In the airlift role, a later production C-160 could carry up to 8.5 tons across a distance of 5,000 kilometers, and take off from airstrips as short as 700 meters. Dependent upon aircraft configuration, a single aircraft could airdrop as many as 88 paratroopers or transport up to 93 equipped troops.Rouvez, Coco and Paddack 1994, p. 96.
The C-160 is powered by a pair of Rolls-Royce Tyne turboprop engines, which drive a pair of four-bladed Dowty Rotol propellers. Advantages of the twin-engine configuration over four include reduced unit and production cost, lower weight and fuel consumption, simplified design and reliability. Each engine is equipped with an auxiliary generator system, providing the aircraft with both electricity and hydraulic pressure.Wache 2004, p. 96. An auxiliary power unit (General Electric CJ610) is used to power the aircraft while on the ground, and for rare use in mid-air emergencies.Wache 2004, p. 97.
Upgrades and improvements An updated second generation of the C-160 was produced during the 1980s. Amongst changes made, the new variant was equipped with additional fuel tankage, aerial refuelling probes and enhanced avionics. While there were considerable changes to instrumentation, including the navigational and autopilot systems, the second generation C-160 retained the original operating characteristics to simplify crew transfers between types. The second generation C-160s were also designed for potential adaptation to other roles such as maritime patrol and aerial fire fighting."C-160 "Military – Fixed Wing." Flight International, 15 November 1980. p. 1885.
The C-160 proved to be a versatile aircraft, leading to a long operational service life. Between its introduction and 1999, approximately 2000 modifications and upgrades were incorporated upon the type, split 60/40 between the structure and equipment respectively.Blumschein 1999, p. A26-4. Many changes were made over time in regards to the aircraft's avionics, incorporating new features such as GPS and laser inertial navigation systems, modern autopilot and crew management systems.Blumschein 1999, p. A26-4-5.
Other improvements and additions to the type include kevlar armour, electronic warfare management systems, chaff/flare dispensers, missile approach warning systems and TCAS collision warning system. Extensive efforts have been made by both France and Germany to extend the aircraft's operating lifespan up to and if necessary beyond 55 years to 2018.Blumschein 1999, p. A26-1-3. In 2003–2004, Germany signed separate contracts with Terma A/S and Northrop Grumman to upgrade the aircraft's electronic warfare self-protection and missile approach warning systems.
Operational history
In July 1974, the Turkish Air Force used 7 C-160Ds during the invasion of Cyprus, to transport troops, drop paratroopers and carry supplies. Having entered service with the Turkish armed forces in 1971, these aircraft provided a great amount of lift during the operation.Kibris Icin Havalandilar: G - Gunu, Levent Basara - Serhat Guvenc, Page: 63 - Kronik Kitap
In April 1976, the French Air Force used 12 C-160s in support of Operation Verveine, airlifting Moroccan troops and equipment to Zaïre during a border conflict with Angola. In May 1978, several C-160s dropped paratroopers of the French Foreign Legion during the Battle of Kolwezi.
In 1977, the French Air Force ordered an updated version designated C-160NG, for Nouvelle Génération ("New Generation"). From 1981, 29 of these aircraft were delivered, half of them configured as tanker aircraft for aerial refuelling. Another four were configured as C-160H Astarté TACAMO aircraft for communication with submerged submarines, a vital component of France's nuclear deterrent system.
In a final conversion, two aircraft were furnished for SIGINT electronic surveillance, designated C-160G Gabriel, replacing the Noratlases that had been in this role previously. In routine operations, the C-160Gs would often supplement France's Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft.Aid and Wiebes 2001, p. 198. In 1991, a SIGINT-equipped C-160G was deployed as part of France's contribution to Coalition forces during and after the Gulf War to support a no-fly zone and embargoing of Iraq.
C-160s were in continuous use to support French bases in sub-Saharan Africa; the tanker variants also proved valuable in supporting African operations.Rouvez, Coco and Paddack 1994, pp. 97–98. The C-160 fleet was the staple of the French military airlift capability for many years, supplemented by small numbers of McDonnell Douglas DC-8s, CASA/IPTN CN-235 and Lockheed C-130 Hercules as of 1990.Rouvez, Coco and Paddack 1994, pp. 96–97.