Boeing AC-165 Stratotitan

The Boeing AC-165 Stratotitan is a heavy strategic airlifter in service with the Royal Air Force of Albion, its sole state operator, since 1997. It is a development of the Boeing 747-400F cargolifter, itself a variant of the 747 civilian jetliner.

Development history
The AC-165 originated in Boeing's C-33 cargolifter proposal, initially pitched to the United States Air Force to cover off the country's heavy lift capacity. The proposal, put forward in 1993, came at a time when the McDonnell-Douglas C-17 Globemaster III was experiencing development difficulties. While the C-33 proposal would have presented a lower-budget development, the USAF ultimately elected to continue with an all-Globemaster fleet.

The proposal was pursued by the Royal Air Force of Albion beginning in 1994 to replace the country's aging fleet of Douglas Starlifters. In a sole-sourced contract, the government of Prime Minister James Glen placed an order for two C-33s, to be designated AC-165 by the RAFA. Opposition parties accused the government of political pandering to Labour's manufacturing-union base in an election year, but the project proceeded nevertheless, with the first flight taking place in 1996 and delivery taking place in 1997.

The AC-165 features a large nose hatch and a larger tail hatch to facilitate rapid loading and unloading of military cargo pallets. The airframes can carry most common military hardware but cannot carry extra-wide loads. They feature provisions for JATO rocket banks to account for their inability to handle short or unprepared runways even at moderate loads.

Upgrades
In 2013, Albion upgraded both of its Stratotitans to AC-165B standards. These new versions mount more powerful PW4000-112 engines and improved communications systems, and they've been equipped to handle fuel more efficiently, increasing their range and lift capacity somewhat. The RAFA mostly employs them to move outsized cargos to and from disaster areas, to the airstrip at Resolute and to AFB Baden-Soellingen.

Albion
The following units operate the Stratotitan:


 * No. 633 Transport Squadron "Skybisons" - 6 Wing AFB Pefferlaw (2 aircraft)

Variants

 * AC-165A - Standard production variant.
 * AC-165B - Upgraded variant with PW4000-112 turbofans and enhanced avionics.

Specifications
General characteristics

Data listed for AC-165B


 * Crew: 2 minimum
 * Length: 231 ft 10 in
 * Cargo capacity: ~275,000 lbs
 * Powerplant: 4x Pratt & Whitney PW4000-112 turbofans, 77,440–91,790 lbf each

Performance


 * Maximum speed: 933 km/h
 * Maximum speed: Mach 0.855
 * Range: 12,500 km