List of Douglas C-47 Skytrain operators

Royal Air Force Dakota III

Two USAAF C-47A Skytrains over France, 1944

British paratroops inside C-47 Dakota, 1944

List of C-47 Skytrain operators includes the country, military service, known squadrons, and related data. The Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. The C-47 has served with over 90 countries outside of the United States:

This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Operators

 Argentina

• Argentine Air Force ^[1]
• Argentine Naval Aviation

 Australia

Douglas C-47B, ex-RAAF A65-94, 2005

• Royal Australian Air Force
  • The RAAF impressed civil DC-3s in September 1939 at the outbreak of World War II. The first C-47s were delivered in 1942 under Lend-Lease and the first built specifically for the RAAF entered service in February 1943. RAAF had received 124 by 1945 which were used during World War II, the Korean War the Malayan Emergency and in Occupied Japan. Most were transferred to civilian government agencies in Australia and New Guinea or sold to airlines in the 1960s. A handful survived in RAAF service into the 1990s with the last two (A65-94 and A65-95) being retired from the Aircraft Research and Development Unit in March 1999. These two are now operated by the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society.^[2]
• Royal Australian Navy
  • Four ex-RAAF aircraft were transferred to the RAN post-war.
    • No. 723 Squadron RAN
    • No. 724 Squadron RAN
    • No. 725 Squadron RAN
    • No. 851 Squadron RAN

 Bangladesh

• Bangladesh Air Force- all retired.

 Belgium

• Belgian Air Force

 Bolivia

• Transporte Aéreo Militar

 Brazil

Forca Aerea Brasileira Douglas C-47, at Museu Aeroespacial

• Brazilian Air Force

 Cambodia

• Royal Cambodian Air Force
  • Received ex-RAAF C-47s as foreign aid.^[2]

 Canada

C-47 RCAF YYF, 1967

• Buffalo Airways
• Canadian Forces
• Royal Canadian Air Force Last served with 402 Squadron in Winnipeg and was retired in 1988.

 Colombia

Colombian Air Force AC-47 Fantasma, 2008

• Colombian Air Force

 Czechoslovakia

• Czechoslovakian Air Force operated C-47s and Soviet-built Li-2.

 Denmark

• Royal Danish Air Force

 Finland

This 1943 C-47 served as the President of Finland's official airplane in the 1970s, as Finnish Air Force DO-9.

• The Finnish Air Force operated nine from 1960 to 1984. One was involved in the Finnish Air Force's deadliest crash on 3 October 1978, when the aircraft crashed soon after takeoff, killing all 15 aboard.^[3]

 France

• The French Air Force operated Skytrains from September 1944 on, when Lend-Lease C-47Bs were delivered to the Groupe de Transport 1/15. After the war, they are the only transport aircraft in large numbers with the Junkers 52 until the late 1950s. The French Navy uses until 1980.^[4]

 Germany

• 20 used by the post-war West German Luftwaffe

 Greece

The single operational C-47 of the Hellenic Air Force.

The Hellenic Air Force's 355th and 356th Transport Squadrons operated over 80 ex-USAAF and ex-RAF aircraft received in 1947. These were widely used in the Greek Civil War (1946–49) in transport and bombing roles. The 13th Transport Flight used C-47s in the Korean War, earning a U.S. Presidential Citation. The 355/1 Tactical Transport Squadron in Thessaloniki has three aircraft, of which one (which has participated in the Korean War and is named Poseidon) remains operational.

 Haiti

• Armed Forces of Haiti

 Honduras

A Honduran Douglas C-47A-20-DK Skytrain aircraft (FAH 304, c/n 12962, ex-USAF 42-93089) taking off for a joint US/Honduran parachute jump during a mobilization of US exercise "Task Force Dragon/Golden Pheasant" in 1988.

 Hungary

• Hungarian Air Force operated Soviet-built Li-2s.

 India

• Indian Air Force

 Indonesia

• Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU)
  • C-47 Dakota RI-001 Seulawah was bought by the Acehnese in 1948 and flown between Java and Sumatra. After the war of independence in 1949 some C-47s were transferred from the Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force and later ex-RAAF C-47s were received as foreign aid.^[2] During the Indonesian invasion of East Timor two C-47s were converted to Gunships with three M2 Browning machine guns.

Iran

• Imperial Iranian Air Force

IIAF acquired 22 Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft at 1949.

 Israel

• Israeli Air Force

 Italy

• Italian Air Force
  • Operated 19 C-47s and 8 C-53 as staff transports and ECM aircraft into the mid-1980s.^[5]

 Japan

Shōwa L2D3, WW2 era

• On February 24, 1938, a subsidiary of Nakajima (Mitsui) purchased production rights and technical data to the DC-3 for $90,000. The aircraft was extensively redesigned to use Japanese raw materials and the Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines were replaced with Mitsubishi Kinsei 43 radial engines. Production initially lagged behind expectations until 1942. Japanese DC-3s were given the Navy designation L2D-2 (L-transport, 2-second Douglas type, D-Douglas 2-second sub-type). L2D1 was used for imported DC-3s. The Japanese built eight sub types in two basic configurations, as passenger transport and as cargo planes. In two years Nakajima built 71 L2D-2s before handing production over to Showa, which built 416, including 75 freighters equipped with a large side door.

 Laos

• Royal Lao Air Force
  • Received ex-RAAF C-47s as foreign aid.^[2]

 Mozambique

• LAM Mozambique Airlines and its predecessor Direcção de Exploração de Transportes Aéreos^[6]

 Netherlands

• Royal Netherlands Air Force
• Dutch Naval Aviation Service
• Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force - Postwar

 New Zealand

Royal New Zealand Air Force C-47

• Royal New Zealand Air Force: Operated C-47s between 1942 and 1977.
  • No. 40 Squadron RNZAF
  • No. 41 Squadron RNZAF
  • No. 42 Squadron RNZAF

 Norway

• Royal Norwegian Air Force

 Pakistan

• Pakistan Air Force

 Papua New Guinea

• Papua New Guinea Defence Force
  • A total of seven Ex-Royal Australian Air Force C-47s were transferred to the PNGDF following independence.^[2]

 Paraguay

• Paraguayan Air Force (FAP)
  • Transporte Aéreo Militar (TAM): Between 1953 and 1998, TAM operated 33 Douglas C-47/DC-3s. The first five aircraft were purchased in the U.S. The U.S. government, through MAP donated 21 C-47s between 1962 and 1973. Chile donated 2 C-47s in 1981 and Brazil 2 C-47 in 1984.
• Paraguayan Naval Aviation (ANP)
  • Servicio Aero Naval (SAN): In 1981, the Argentinian Naval Aviation donated one C-47 to its Paraguayan counterpart.
• Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas (LAP): This airline used one C-47 borrowed from TAM between 1970 and 1974.

 Philippines

• Philippine Air Force
  • President Magsaysay of the Philippines was killed in the crash of a Philippine Air Force C-47 in 1957.
  • Some were ex-RAAF C-47s received as foreign aid.^[2]

 Poland

• Polish Air Force operated C-47s bought post-war from US stocks and Li-2s bought in Soviet Union.

 Portugal

Portuguese Air Force C-47A

Section source: Geocities C-47^[7]

The first Portuguese Dakota (where it was only known as the Dakota) was interned in 1944 and it remained the sole example in Portuguese service transporting military VIPs until September 1958 when additional Dakotas came from the United States. Portuguese Dakotas were used for a wide variety of roles including one aircraft (6155) used as a bomber during the Portuguese Colonial War, and two converted to spray pesticides. The Dakota was retired in 1976. One (6157) was preserved for the Museu do Ar (Air Museum).

Portuguese Air Force

• 81 Squadron - Transport mission
• E.I.C.P.A.C. - Esquadra de Instrução Complementar de Pilotagem de Aviões Pesados (Heavy Transport Training Squadron). Formed at B.A.2 Ota in 1960 with C-47s.
• E.L.T.S. - Esquadrilha de Ligação de Transporte Sanitário (Sanitary Transport Squadron). Also based at Lisbon, had aircraft equipped for VIP and medical transport.
• 101 Squadron - Formed at B.A.10 - Beira (Moçambique) on February 5, 1962 with C-47s. Later transferred to Lourenço Marques as Esquadra 801.

Aeronáutica Militar (Army Military Aviation)

• Esquadrilha Independente de Aviação de Caça-Secção de Transportes Aéreos (Fighter-Air Transport Section of Independent Aviation Squadron)

 Rhodesia

• Rhodesian Air Force

 South Africa

Douglas Dakota 6859, South African Air Force, 2008

• South African Air Force
  • 35 Squadron SAAF: Still in use, flying the Turbo Dakota.
  • 44 Squadron SAAF: Employed in 1944 and 1945 to support operations in the Greek Civil War.

 Southern Rhodesia

• Southern Rhodesian Air Force

 South Korea

Republic of Korea Air Force EC-47Q, KAI Aerospace Museum.

• Republic of Korea Air Force

 Soviet Union

• Soviet Air Force: The Lisunov Li-2 was a license-built DC-3, produced in Russia. Some 6000 were built between 1939 and 1952.^[8] The Soviet Union also operated C-47s supplied under Lend-Lease during World War II.

 Sweden

Swedish Air Force Tp 79 (C-47A)

The Swedish Air Force started using C-47s soon after World War II for transport purposes. A few were converted to SIGINT platforms and eavesdropped on Soviet radio communications and radar stations in the 1950s. One such aircraft was shot down by Soviet fighters in international airspace over the Baltic Sea in 1952 with all of the crew killed.^[9]

 Thailand

• Royal Thai Air Force

 Turkey

• Turkish Air Force

 United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force: RAF Transport Command was supplied with over 1,900 Dakotas under Lend-Lease during World War II and the type was flown by at least 46 operational squadrons, plus numerous support units. The RAF flew 50 Dakota I (C-47), 9 Dakota II (C-53), 962 Dakota III (C-47A) and 896 Dakota IV (C-47B). RAF Dakotas were assigned to all theatres of operations. RAF Dakotas dropped paratroopers and equipment and towed gliders to the Normandy landings and Arnhem. Four squadrons of Dakota IVs took part in the Berlin Airlift in 1948/49. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight operates a single Dakota.
• BOAC: 59 C-47s were supplied to BOAC to maintain international air links.

 United States

C-47 transport planes, Operation Market Garden, 1944

• US Army Air Corps
• US Army Air Force
• US Air Force
• US Marine Corps
• US Navy
• US Coast Guard^[10]
• Air National Guard
• Federal Aviation Administration ^[11]
• National Test Pilot School

 Venezuela

C-47, Venezuelan Air Force

• Venezuelan Air Force

 Vietnam

Vietnam operated ex-South Vietnamese captured C-47s.

 Republic of Vietnam

• Air Vietnam
• Vietnam Air Force

 Yugoslavia

• SFR Yugoslav Air Force
  • 41 were operated from 1946 until 1976. 20 were received through military aid in 1953-1954. Also operated Li-2 aircraft
• SUKL (Federal ATC Authority) used 1 aircraft for navid calibration until 1986.
• Yugoslav Airlines operated around 20 converted military Dakotas bought from Great Britain in 1947.

 Zimbabwe

• Air Force of Zimbabwe

See also

• List of Douglas DC-3 operators

References

1. pictorial
2. ADF Serials list of Australian military DC-2s/DC-3s/C-47s retrieved 2010-06-19
3. Aviation Safety Network
4. (French) Jacques Moulin, Le Douglas C-47/DC-3 "Dakota", 25 april 2008
5. aeroflight
6. "SubFleets for: LAM Mozambique". AeroTransport Data Bank. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
7. Portugal Service
8. Brouwer, Maarten. "Lisunov Li-2 (NATO: Cab)". Retrieved 2006-07-05.
9. Bortom Horisonten : Svensk Flygspaning mot Sovjetunionen 1946-1952 by Andersson, Lennart, Hellström, Leif
10. http://www.uscg.mil/history/aviation/Douglas/Douglas_R4D.pdf
11. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:N34---Douglas-DC3-Cockpit.jpg