Book review of
C-160 Transall
Flying in Air Forces Around the World
Author: Duke Hawkins
HMH Publications Duke Hawkins Series no.22
ISBN: 978-2-931083-12-3
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright date unknown
MSRP: $32.00
ISBN: 978-2-931083-12-3
By Ray Mehlberger
Copyright date unknown
MSRP: $32.00
HISTORY:
The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is an abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium Transporter Allianz, comprising the companies of MBB, Aerospatiale, and VFW-Fokker. It was initially developed to meet the requirements for a modern transport aircraft for the French and German Air Forces; export sales were also made to South Africa and to Turkey, as well as a small number to civilian operators.
The C-160 remains in service more than 50 years after the type's first flight in 1963. It has provided logistical support to overseas operations and has served in specialist roles such as an aerial refueling tanker, electronic intelligence gathering, and as a communications platform.
The C-160 is going to be replaced in French and German service by the Airbus A400M Atlas,[2] and a small number of Lockheed-Martin C-130J Super Hercules operated in a multinational unit.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 3 flight crew + loadmasters
Capacity: 16,000 kg (35,274 lb)
93 troops or
61–88 paratroops or
62 stretchers
cargo compartment: length 17.20 m (56.4 ft); width 3.15 m (10.3 ft); height 2.98 m (9 ft 9.3 in) [52]
Length: 32.4 m (106 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 40 m (131 ft 3 in)
Height: 11.65 m (38 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 160 m2 (1,700 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 10
Empty weight: 27,782 kg (61,249 lb) empty equipped
Gross weight: 46,000 kg (101,413 lb) with 17,000 kg (37,479 lb) payload
Max takeoff weight: 51,000 kg (112,436 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce RTy.20 Tyne Mk 22 turboprop engines, 4,549 kW (6,100 hp) each
Propellers: 4-bladed Ratier Forest-built BAe Type 4/8000/6 full feathering constant-speed reversible-pitch propellers, 5.486 m (18 ft 0 in) diameter
Maximum speed: 513 km/h (319 mph, 277 kn) at4,875 m (15,994 ft)
Stall speed: 177 km/h (110 mph, 96 kn) flaps down
Never exceed speed: 593 km/h (368 mph, 320 kn)
Range: 1,853 km (1,151 mi, 1,001 nmi) with 16,000 kg (35,274 lb) payload, 30 min reserves
Service ceiling: 8,230 m (27,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 6.6 m/s (1,300 ft/min)
Wing loading: 319 kg/m2 (65 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.18 kW/kg (0.11 hp/lb)
THE BOOK:
HMH Publications is based in the UK.
This book is in soft-cover of 215 pages in 9” x 9 ½” page format.
It contains 242 color photos (including the cover arts).
The cover art shows a color photo of a C-160 from head-on and in flight. It is with the German Air Force. It has a black nose tip, orange noses on the front of the two fuel tanks, propellers have 2 yellow bands on their blade tips, it is bright red around the top of the windshield. It has a silver-grey fuselage with a black and medium-grey wave pattern camouflage. A yellow rudder, black wing leading edges and illustration on the rudder, yellow, red, blue and white panels above the wings, with a large white no 63 in the center.
One corner of the cover has a photo of Duke Hawkins in pilot gear. At the bottom of the cover it says the book was done with Marcus Fulber and James Schymura. Another corner says the book contains: Action, Cockpit, Fuselage, Cargo Bay and Maintenance photos.The book does show all this in abundance.
Every inch of the interior and exterior of the C-160 is shown, with it either in flight, or on an airfield. Fuel tanks are shown.
Inside the book are:
Another German C-160 is in a tan and dark-green wave pattern camouflage with a black nose tip.
A German one that is overall medium-grey, with orange noses on the front of the fuel tanks, black nose tip, red rudder. It is a C-160G version.
A German one that is white, with black wing leading edges, over a wave pattern camouflage of tan and dark-green, with black, red and yellow stripes that end with a large white no. 400.000 down the sides of the fuselage, with a illustration of a white bumble-bee above.
A German one that is light-grey, with dark-green and medium-grey wave pattern camouflage on its spine, a black nose tip and rudder, an illustration of a white bumble-bee on the sides of the nose, black wing leading edges and white fuel tanks with orange noses.
A German one that is white with as medium-blue spine, black nose tip and wing leading edges, a white no. 1956-2016 on the blue paint over the cockpit, black leading edge on the rudder with a white no. 60 on it. This was commemorating an anniversary of the German Air Force.
A German one that is overall medium-grey with a black nose.
A German one that is also medium-grey with a white outlined figure of a bear on its nose.
A German dark-grey one with a white outline of an eagle on its nose.
A French one that is overall medium-grey with a black nose.
A Turkish Air Force one that is overall bare metal.
This is a great picture book about Prowlers.
Duke Hawkins says:
When going over my bookshelves, some aircraft seem to be left aside by some editors. It is true that some aircraft are more spectacular than others. But still, many of the more unknown aircraft also deserve to their spot in aviation history.
Being driven on passion, more than a good business instinct, Hawkins wanted to include the C-160 Transall. It has been doing its job discreetly for many decades, airlifting thousands of men and tons of equipment all around the world.
This agile, twin-engined transport aircraft has been the backbone for the German, French, Turkish and South African Air Forces, and when you look at it more closely, is truly an amazing aircraft. Not only in its role as a transport aircraft, but also as the electronic warfare variant C-160G, referred to as the “Gabriel”.
Most of the photos in this book were taken by Jens Schymura and Marcus Fulber at Hohn airbase. So, the author not only wants to thank both of them, but also the commander and people of the base. For some of the photos of the “Gabriel” were obtained with the help of Julien Fechter of Sirpa Air.
Hawkins hopes you like the result and thanks you for purchasing this book. If you got it from a friend, thank him or her from us for a good choice! The crew is already working on the next book, but if you have suggestions, don’t hesitate to let us know, our website is on the back cover. DUKE
The last page of this book shows 22 small color cover arts of other HMH Duke Hawkins series books:
Jaguar, F-16 Fighting Falcon, Dassault Mirage 2000, Fulcrum, Panavia Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab RJ 37 Viggen, Hornet, C-160 Hercules (this book), Dassault Mirage F1, Harrier II, Mig-31 Foxhound, Dassault Mirage III, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, F4 E/F Phantom II, SIAI Marchetti SF-260, Sukhoi SU-25 Frogfoot, Dassault/Damler Alpha Jet, Atlas A400M, Sukhoi Su-35s Flanker E, EA-6B Prowler and Aircraft Carrier Juan Carlos I.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review copy. Casemate is the N. American distributor of HMH Publications and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft, produced as a joint venture between France and Germany. "Transall" is an abbreviation of the manufacturing consortium Transporter Allianz, comprising the companies of MBB, Aerospatiale, and VFW-Fokker. It was initially developed to meet the requirements for a modern transport aircraft for the French and German Air Forces; export sales were also made to South Africa and to Turkey, as well as a small number to civilian operators.
The C-160 remains in service more than 50 years after the type's first flight in 1963. It has provided logistical support to overseas operations and has served in specialist roles such as an aerial refueling tanker, electronic intelligence gathering, and as a communications platform.
The C-160 is going to be replaced in French and German service by the Airbus A400M Atlas,[2] and a small number of Lockheed-Martin C-130J Super Hercules operated in a multinational unit.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Crew: 3 flight crew + loadmasters
Capacity: 16,000 kg (35,274 lb)
93 troops or
61–88 paratroops or
62 stretchers
cargo compartment: length 17.20 m (56.4 ft); width 3.15 m (10.3 ft); height 2.98 m (9 ft 9.3 in) [52]
Length: 32.4 m (106 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 40 m (131 ft 3 in)
Height: 11.65 m (38 ft 3 in)
Wing area: 160 m2 (1,700 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 10
Empty weight: 27,782 kg (61,249 lb) empty equipped
Gross weight: 46,000 kg (101,413 lb) with 17,000 kg (37,479 lb) payload
Max takeoff weight: 51,000 kg (112,436 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce RTy.20 Tyne Mk 22 turboprop engines, 4,549 kW (6,100 hp) each
Propellers: 4-bladed Ratier Forest-built BAe Type 4/8000/6 full feathering constant-speed reversible-pitch propellers, 5.486 m (18 ft 0 in) diameter
Maximum speed: 513 km/h (319 mph, 277 kn) at4,875 m (15,994 ft)
Stall speed: 177 km/h (110 mph, 96 kn) flaps down
Never exceed speed: 593 km/h (368 mph, 320 kn)
Range: 1,853 km (1,151 mi, 1,001 nmi) with 16,000 kg (35,274 lb) payload, 30 min reserves
Service ceiling: 8,230 m (27,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 6.6 m/s (1,300 ft/min)
Wing loading: 319 kg/m2 (65 lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.18 kW/kg (0.11 hp/lb)
THE BOOK:
HMH Publications is based in the UK.
This book is in soft-cover of 215 pages in 9” x 9 ½” page format.
It contains 242 color photos (including the cover arts).
The cover art shows a color photo of a C-160 from head-on and in flight. It is with the German Air Force. It has a black nose tip, orange noses on the front of the two fuel tanks, propellers have 2 yellow bands on their blade tips, it is bright red around the top of the windshield. It has a silver-grey fuselage with a black and medium-grey wave pattern camouflage. A yellow rudder, black wing leading edges and illustration on the rudder, yellow, red, blue and white panels above the wings, with a large white no 63 in the center.
One corner of the cover has a photo of Duke Hawkins in pilot gear. At the bottom of the cover it says the book was done with Marcus Fulber and James Schymura. Another corner says the book contains: Action, Cockpit, Fuselage, Cargo Bay and Maintenance photos.The book does show all this in abundance.
Every inch of the interior and exterior of the C-160 is shown, with it either in flight, or on an airfield. Fuel tanks are shown.
Inside the book are:
Another German C-160 is in a tan and dark-green wave pattern camouflage with a black nose tip.
A German one that is overall medium-grey, with orange noses on the front of the fuel tanks, black nose tip, red rudder. It is a C-160G version.
A German one that is white, with black wing leading edges, over a wave pattern camouflage of tan and dark-green, with black, red and yellow stripes that end with a large white no. 400.000 down the sides of the fuselage, with a illustration of a white bumble-bee above.
A German one that is light-grey, with dark-green and medium-grey wave pattern camouflage on its spine, a black nose tip and rudder, an illustration of a white bumble-bee on the sides of the nose, black wing leading edges and white fuel tanks with orange noses.
A German one that is white with as medium-blue spine, black nose tip and wing leading edges, a white no. 1956-2016 on the blue paint over the cockpit, black leading edge on the rudder with a white no. 60 on it. This was commemorating an anniversary of the German Air Force.
A German one that is overall medium-grey with a black nose.
A German one that is also medium-grey with a white outlined figure of a bear on its nose.
A German dark-grey one with a white outline of an eagle on its nose.
A French one that is overall medium-grey with a black nose.
A Turkish Air Force one that is overall bare metal.
This is a great picture book about Prowlers.
Duke Hawkins says:
When going over my bookshelves, some aircraft seem to be left aside by some editors. It is true that some aircraft are more spectacular than others. But still, many of the more unknown aircraft also deserve to their spot in aviation history.
Being driven on passion, more than a good business instinct, Hawkins wanted to include the C-160 Transall. It has been doing its job discreetly for many decades, airlifting thousands of men and tons of equipment all around the world.
This agile, twin-engined transport aircraft has been the backbone for the German, French, Turkish and South African Air Forces, and when you look at it more closely, is truly an amazing aircraft. Not only in its role as a transport aircraft, but also as the electronic warfare variant C-160G, referred to as the “Gabriel”.
Most of the photos in this book were taken by Jens Schymura and Marcus Fulber at Hohn airbase. So, the author not only wants to thank both of them, but also the commander and people of the base. For some of the photos of the “Gabriel” were obtained with the help of Julien Fechter of Sirpa Air.
Hawkins hopes you like the result and thanks you for purchasing this book. If you got it from a friend, thank him or her from us for a good choice! The crew is already working on the next book, but if you have suggestions, don’t hesitate to let us know, our website is on the back cover. DUKE
The last page of this book shows 22 small color cover arts of other HMH Duke Hawkins series books:
Jaguar, F-16 Fighting Falcon, Dassault Mirage 2000, Fulcrum, Panavia Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab RJ 37 Viggen, Hornet, C-160 Hercules (this book), Dassault Mirage F1, Harrier II, Mig-31 Foxhound, Dassault Mirage III, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, F4 E/F Phantom II, SIAI Marchetti SF-260, Sukhoi SU-25 Frogfoot, Dassault/Damler Alpha Jet, Atlas A400M, Sukhoi Su-35s Flanker E, EA-6B Prowler and Aircraft Carrier Juan Carlos I.
I sincerely wish to thank Casemate Publishers for this review copy. Casemate is the N. American distributor of HMH Publications and all their titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
Highly recommended.