Fokker F27 Friendship variant
Fokker F27 Friendship F27-400M
Military version of the -400 with a large cargo door, designated C-31A Troopship in US Army service. It carries 44 passengers, 40 equipped troops or 29 stretchers.
- 1,810 km
- Range
- 44
- Passengers
History
A Friendship in uniform
The F27-400M is the military version of the -400 'Combi', with the large side cargo door and strengthened floor that allow passengers and freight to be mixed. Its cabin takes 44 passengers, 40 equipped troops or 29 stretchers, and the airframe keeps the 29 m span and the 23.56 m short fuselage of the rest of the family. At a maximum take-off weight of 19,730 kg it reaches 475 km/h and a range of 1,810 km.
The C-31A Troopship
The United States acquired the type as the C-31A Troopship. Its most visible user was the US Army Parachute Team, the Golden Knights, which operated one aircraft from 1985 for its displays. The last C-31A was retired in September 2019; airframe 85-01608, named 'Excalibur', passed to the Dutch flying heritage foundation based at Lelystad, and another was auctioned in October that year.
Other operators
Beyond the United States, the military transport Friendship served in air forces on three continents; the Royal Thai Armed Forces designated their F27-400s B.LL.1.