Curtiss C-46 Commando

C-46 Commando
A wartime photograph of a U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) C-46 Commando
Role	Military transport aircraft Type of aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Curtiss-Wright Higgins Aircraft
First flight	26 March 1940
Introduction	1941
Status	Active in limited civilian use
Primary users	United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Navy
Produced	1940–1945
Number built	3,181[1]

The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company publicity.^[2] It was used primarily as a cargo aircraft during World War II, with fold-down seating for military transport and some use in delivering paratroops. Mainly deployed by the United States Army Air Forces, it also served the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps, which called it R5C. The C-46 filled similar roles as its Douglas-built counterpart, the C-47 Skytrain, with some 3,200 C-46s produced to approximately 10,200 C-47s.

After World War II, a few surplus C-46 aircraft were briefly used in their original role as passenger airliners but the glut of surplus C-47s dominated the marketplace and the C-46 was soon relegated to cargo duty. The type continued in U.S. Air Force service in a secondary role until 1968. The C-46 continues in operation as a rugged cargo transport for arctic and remote locations with its service life extended into the 21st century.^[3]