De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou - Avalon Airshow 2015
176The Caribou was 1st flown in 1958. The RAAF ordered its 1st Caribou in 1963 to replace the existing Dakota transport aircraft. A total 29 were acquired over the years.
Powered by 2 x Pratt and Whitney R2000 engines (~2,000 cu.in or ~32.7 Litres), 14 cylinders, 1,450HP each. Caribous have 2 x Pilots & a Loadmaster/Engineer. Range ~2,100km, Maximum Speed ~350km/h.
Almost 20 years after the RAAF began searching for a replacement for the Caribou aircraft, the Federal Government is set to buy an Italian aircraft, the Alenia C-27J Spartan, from the US Government. There had been rumours around for years that the Spartan was the chosen aircraft to replace the Caribou and now the decision has been made.
(Click HERE to read a speech given by John McDougall at a Caribou propeller dedication at the Redlands RSL club at Cleveland)
A $1.5 billion contract to buy 10 so-called "battlefield airlifters" ($150,000,000 each??) will be signed in the first half of 2012 and it is expected that the aircraft will be delivered to the RAAF sometime in 2014. Airbus Defence are still keen to sell their C295 to the RAAF but Canberra is in no mood to risk further delays to a project that started back in 1996.