Rare images of one of the Spanish C-212 Aviocar aircraft of the United States Army
Last year I told you here about the C-41As of the United States Army, as the C-212s purchased by that country are known there.
Of the 483 CASA C-212 Aviocars built, the United States purchased seven between 1983 and 1985: six C-212-200 variants and one CASA 212-200CC. One of these aircraft was purchased by the Air Force (USAF) and the other six by the Army (specifically, the C-212-200C and five C-212-200s). The first C-41A was lost in an accident on December 1, 1989, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.
The US Army’s five C-41As are operated by the United States Special Operations Command (USASOC) Flight Company. On 20 March 2014, USASOC announced that it would replace its C-41As with Italian Alenia C-27J Spartans, but in August 2020, the US Department of Defense signed a contract to modernize all five USASOC C-41As for €10 million, including new avionics. Three of the aircraft are operated from Simmons AAF at Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home of USASOC), and the other two fly from Laguna Airfield at the Yuma Test Range in Arizona.
Fort Liberty’s C-41As are typically used by the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (JFKSWCS). Due to the nature of their missions, there aren’t many photos and videos of these aircraft, but yesterday Epicaviation47 posted some rare footage of a USASOC C-41A, 90-0168, one of Fort Liberty’s aircraft, in a video featuring footage from various aircraft. The footage was recorded at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in Georgia, and shows this C-41A taxiing and taking off:
90-0168 (cn336) is the oldest C-41A in the US Armed Forces. You can see some screenshots from this video here.
USASOC C-41As have been operating in this striking white livery for many years, with the colors of the US flag on the tail. They are one of the few fixed-wing aircraft owned by the US Army, whose air force is almost entirely made up of helicopters.
The detail that distinguishes the missions of the USASOC C-41A can be seen on its starboard door: it is a dagger, a bladed weapon that has been part of the symbolism of the US Special Forces for many years.
In the video we can see an interesting detail at the moment of takeoff of this C-41A: one of the MH-47G Chinook heavy helicopters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) of the US Army, also known by its nickname "Night Stalkers".
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