In 1943, during the construction of the prototype of the ХВ-36 heavy strategic bomber, the Convair aircraft company proposed to the Air Force a super-heavy transport aircraft that would employ most of the structural elements of the B-36. With their agreement, the design of the new airframe, designated XC-99, began.
On November 2, 1947, its first test flight took place. The XC-99 inherited the wings and its powerplants from the B-36. It had a completely new fuselage and modified operation. Its size was impressive; no other aircraft had the ability to carry such a large payload - 400 fully equipped soldiers or 100,000 lb of cargo. Testing lasted until May 1949. After that, this aircraft, serial number 43-52436, was transferred to the Air Force.
Operation of the ХС-99 began in July 1950, when it transported over 100,000lbs, nearly 46 metric tonnes of cargo, mostly B-36 bomber components, from the company’s San Diego plant to Kelly Air Force Base. A little later, the plane broke its own record, delivering 47 tonnes of cargo. In August 1953, it set a record for the distance of a flight with cargo, having delivered 27 tonnes of equipment to a base in West Germany via Bermuda and the Azores, flying 19,000 km.
The XC-99 took an active part in delivering cargo to Korea, where a long-term conflict between the northern and southern parts of the country had begun. After the ceasefire there, it also took part in the return of American forces to the Motherland.
Despite all the positive experience of operating the ХС-99, the Air Force Command stated that it did not need this type of aircraft in large quantities and no further contracts were awarded. This did not trouble Convair unduly, as it was still busy building B-36 bombers.
Interest in the ХС-99 was shown by Pan American Airways, which at that time was rapidly developing transcontinental routes, and even issued Convair an order for 15 aircraft, which was named the Model 37. It was planned that the aircraft would be able to carry 204 passengers for a distance of 7,000 km. Pan American even launched an extensive promotional campaign for the new aircraft, but the deal to build them was canceled due to Convair’s heavy workload with the B-36 program and the economic impracticality of building a series of only 15 machines.
The XC-99 was left as the sole example of its type, continuing its military service. By 1957, it had transported a total of 27,000 tonnes of cargo with a total flight time of 7,400 hours. Its last flight took place on March 19, 1997, after which it was withdrawn from military service and transferred to Kelly AFB for storage. The XC-99 was stored there until 2004, after which it was disassembled into its main components and eventually transported to the famous “Boneyard” - the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, where it is stored to this day, waiting for restoration.
The Galaxy XC-99 remained the largest transport aircraft in history, until the appearance of the C-5 (Galaxy), and despite its unique status, it played a very important role in the development of military transport aviation.
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