Northrop YC-125 Raider

the C-125, Northrop's first postwar civil design was a three-engined STOL passenger and cargo transport named the Northrop N-23 Pioneer. The Pioneer could carry 36 passengers or five tons of cargo and first flew on 21 December 1946. The aircraft had good performance, but there was little interest due to the availability of cheap war surplus aircraft. The Pioneer was lost in a fatal crash on 19 February 1948 when it lost a new tailfin design in flight.[1] In 1948, the United States Air Force expressed interest in an aircraft of the same configuration and placed an order with Northrop for 23 aircraft, 13 troop transports designated the C-125A Raider and 10 for Arctic rescue work designated the C-125B. With the company designation N-32 Raider the first aircraft flew on 1 August 1949.

Role	Transport aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Northrop Corporation
First flight	1-Aug-49
Introduction	1950
Retired	1955
Primary user	United States Air Force
Produced	1949–1950
Number built	23
General characteristics Crew: 4 Length: 67 ft 1 in (20.45 m) Wingspan: 86 ft 6 in (26.37 m) Height: 23 ft 1 in (7.04 m) Max takeoff weight: 41,900 lb (19,006 kg) Powerplant: 3 × Wright R-1820-99 Cyclone 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 1,200 hp (890 kW) each Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propellers Performance Maximum speed: 207 mph (333 km/h, 180 kn) Cruise speed: 171 mph (275 km/h, 149 kn) Range: 1,856 mi (2,987 km, 1,613 nmi) Service ceiling: 12,200 ft (3,700 m)