5 Noteworthy Missions Of The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (2024)

The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an early post-war military transport (first flown in 1947) and was flown by the US Air Force, US Navy, and Marine Corps. It was developed from the World War II Fairchild C-82 Packet and was built to carry cargo, litter patients, personnel, and equipment. It could also drop cargo and troops by parachute. It remained in production until 1955, at which time some 1,100 had been built.

1 Mid-air satellite recovery

A Flying Boxcar snagged the Discoverer 14 satellite at 8,000 feet

According to the National Museum of the US Air Force, the C-119J Flying Boxcar (specifically the one on display at the museum) made the world's "first mid-air recovery of an object returning from space." The event occurred in August 1960 when the Flying Boxcar caught the Discoverer XIV satellite using a recovery gear lowered from the open rear door.

Photo: National Museum of the US Air Force

The recovery gear snagged the satellite's parachute, and it was then able to slowly winch the satellite with its reeled film onboard. As this was a time long before digital cameras and live feeds, satellites (and all cameras) had to take footage on film reels. These secret reconnaissance satellite films then needed to be recovered by the Air Force.

2 Korean War

A 1950 C-119 airdrop saved thousands of troops

The Korean War erupted in 1950, and the Flying Boxcar (introduced in 1949) was one of the newest aircraft in US service. During the war, Flying Boxcars played an important role in carrying troops and supplies.

Photo: National Museum of the US Air Force

The most important Korean War mission came in the bitter winter of 1950. One of the most impactful missions saw the US Air Force C-119Bs air-dropping bridge sections to American troops that Chinese communist forces had trapped at the Chosin Reservoir. The emergency bridge allowed thousands of soldiers and marines to escape.

3 AC-119C Shadow and AC-119K Stinger gunships

The US converted 52 Flying Boxcars to serve as gunships

The AC-130 Hercules isn't the only transport-come gunship used by the US Air Force. During the Vietnam War, the US modified 52 C-119G Flying Boxcars as gunships to replace the Douglas AC-47 Spooky and to be used in conjunction with the early versions of the AC-130 Spectre gunship. During their service in the war, only five were lost to all causes.

Photo:USAF | Wikimedia Commons

The 26 Shadows and 26 Stingers provided close air support for US missions in South Vietnam and interdiction missions against trucks and supplies along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. As the US withdrew from the conflict and left South Vietnam to its fate, all AC-119C Gunships were transferred to the South Vietnamese.

4 Operation Chromite

Flying Boxcars served with the 314th Troop Carrier Group

The early stages of the Korean War were a roller-coaster ride, with either side repeatedly gaining the upper hand. The war started with the North Koreans routing the South Koreans and then routing the ill-prepared American forces that were rushed to stem the tide. After the South Koreans and the US successfully defended the remaining Busan pocket, they dramatically reversed the cause of the war by landing at Incheon (Operation Chromite) near Seoul, far behind the North Korean lines.

Photo:USAF | Wikimedia Commons

The Flying Boxcars were instrumental in this operation, which saw the 314th (equipped with Flying Boxcars) begin its first major operation, ferrying fresh troops, equipment, and supplies from Japan to the Kimpo Airport in Seoul. The massive operation involved around 75,000 troops and 261 ships and led to the collapse of the North Korean army (but fortunes switched again as China soon entered the war).

5 Civilian use

The last federally-operated C-119 Flying Boxcars were grounded in 1987

Some transport aircraft go on to find use with non-military federal agencies of the US government (the C-130 Hercules is a great example). A number of Flying Boxcars went on to be used by the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. These agencies served as air tankers to fight wildfires.

Photo: kitchener.lord l Flickr

Other Flying Boxcars were found to be used by civilians as cargo transport. The aircraft were aging, and accidents were causing safety concerns, leading to the last American air tankers being permanently grounded in 1987. They would later get caught up in a US Forest Service air tanker scandal.