Military uses for civilian planes.

[pbehn]

I was watching a documentary or Concorde and had a thought well two actually.

1 Was any military use for a Concorde ever considered.

2 Apart from cargo and troop transport which other civilian aircraft were developed for military use?

I came up with the Sunderland, DC3 gunship and Cessna 01 and 02

 

[michaelmaltby]

Lockheed Electra = P-3 Orion
Dehavilland Comet = BAE Nimrod
Beech Kingair = KA-350
Bombardier Global Express Jet = E-11A

[edit]

 

[vikingBerserker]

I believe the He 111 & Ju 90 started life as civilian planes

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The Concorde was not suited for any military roles at all.

1. Narrow bodied.
2. Could not carry a large enough payload.
3. To expensive, burned too much fuel.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Lockheed Electra = P-3 Orion
Dehavilland Comet = BAE Nimrod
Beech Kingair = KA-350
Bombardier Regional Jet = KA-350

The Beech King air is a KA 350. A KA 350 is the civilian nomenclature for a Model B300 Super King Air.

 

[fubar57]

DHC-6 Twin Otter - RCAF CC-138 Twin Otter plus other air forces

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Bombardier Challenger 600 - RCAF CC-144 Challenger plus other air forces

​

Airbus A310-300s - RCAF CC-150 Polaris

​

I know they aren't fighters or bombers but hey....they're Canucky

 

[Shortround6]

I believe the He 111 & Ju 90 started life as civilian planes

The JU 90 did.

The He 111 didn't, it was a bomber from the get-go.
The commercial versions were an attempt to fool other countries into believing that some of the German aircraft were for peaceful purposes.
The He 111 Commercial version was announced to the world over 18 months after the DC-2 went into service and within a 1-2 months of the DC-3.

Photo of He 111 commercial with Ju 52s

Smaller volume for passengers/cargo is apparent.

 

[Blutto]

Add to that list:

VC-10/15
L1011
A330
B737

Plus a few more that don't come immediately to mind.

 

[parsifal]

GAF nomad, devised as a light military transport, also used from new by the RFDS and by a number of local aerial survey companies

 

[swampyankee]

A lot of civilian aircraft are picked up for use as liaison aircraft, light transports and utility aircraft.

 

[nuuumannn]

Air Koryo - North Korea's airline has a number of military aircraft operating within its fleet. Although nominally governed over by the DPRK's civil aviation branch, the airline is state owned and its aircraft have in the past been painted in military liveries and used for military purposes. The UN even denounced these activities as a violation of sanctions against the reclusive nation.

Article listing the airline's activities here: Air Koryo plane that made emergency landing was one of its newer aircraft

The distinction between military and civil use of airliners was blurred under Aeroflot during the Soviet Union. I remmber seeing Antonov An-12s with tail guns in Aeroflot colours in books I used to have. CAAC, the Chinese communist airline was much the same and also operated military aircraft. So, would these be considered military aircraft in civilian guise or civlian aircraft, or both?

CAAC Antonov An-12:

 

[nuuumannn]

Another one closer to home not mentioned yet; RNZAF's two B757s.







JASDF KC-767.

 

[nuuumannn]

Surprised no one's mentioned Air America yet.

 

[gumbyk]

Air Koryo - North Korea's airline has a number of military aircraft operating within its fleet. Although nominally governed over by the DPRK's civil aviation branch, the airline is state owned and its aircraft have in the past been painted in military liveries and used for military purposes. The UN even denounced these activities as a violation of sanctions against the reclusive nation.

Article listing the airline's activities here: Air Koryo plane that made emergency landing was one of its newer aircraft

The distinction between military and civil use of airliners was blurred under Aeroflot during the Soviet Union. I remmber seeing Antonov An-12s with tail guns in Aeroflot colours in books I used to have. CAAC, the Chinese communist airline was much the same and also operated military aircraft. So, would these be considered military aircraft in civilian guise or civlian aircraft, or both?

CAAC Antonov An-12:

View attachment 468975

So, could we add the PAC-75L as well now?

 

[Airframes]

Britten Norman Islander has been used as a patrol and fishery protection aircraft, armed with 7.62 mm L7 GPMGs.
The little Bolkow Junior was used as a ground attack aircraft in the war in Biafra.

 

[fubar57]

Flew in a BN into the last logging camp I work in. The company had two. I don't know why but there was a book/magazine(?) in camp that had the costs of light aircraft for the current year ('83) that said a BN was worth $450-500K. Our owner bought them for around $45K each from S. America. The brake shoes appeared to be dangling on the right side. The faller's aircraft, a Cessna 206 cab used to occasionally fill with a small amount of smoke. It was never fixed in the 3 years I worked there. The owners nick-name was Junk John.

 

[Airframes]

I used to skydive from an Islander. One day, as it was landing, the starboard wheel assembly hit a sheep on the runway, which 'slewed' the wheel off to an angle. Robin, the pilot,completed a safe landing and taxied back, the aircraft was jacked up and the wheel re-aligned, and then took off for another 'lift' !
The sheep went on the 'barbie' that night ..............

 

[Airframes]

Pic of one of the Bolkow Junior based 'Minicon' aircraft used in Biafra.

 

[Shortround6]

Going back to 1938

Probably one of the more successful conversions of a civil aircraft to military use.

 

[swampyankee]

It's fairly common for maritime patrol aircraft to be based on civil aircraft: L-188 Electra -> P-3 Orion, Bristol Brittania -> Canadair CP-107 Argus, 737 -> P-8, MPA versions of the ATR-72, CN-235, Do-328, AEW versions of Saab 340, Gulfstream GIV or GV, 737, 707, 767, DC-10 and L-1011 tankers, .....

Commercial transport airframes are robust, long-lived, commodious, and common.