US Fairchild HC123 ''Provider'' Cargo Plane

By Crusader1307

Manufactured in 1956 as a Twin, Turbo Jet Aircraft for Transportation and Cargo duties, The Fairchild “Provider” was under Contract to The US Air Force. With American involvement in Southeast Asia, it was determined that Jungle Warfare would provide a great resource to The Enemy. The “Provider” became the primary deployment platform for the defoliant herbicide known as Agent Orange during The Vietnam War. The “Provider” was crewed by 4. In it’s Transport configuration, she could carry up to 60-Passengers and up to 25,000-pounds of Cargo. When used as an Aerial chemical agent platform, each “Provider” could carry 8-tanks with 200-gallons of chemical. Connected to a pneumatic pump system, a series of Hose Jets (hoses) would disperse. The “Provider” was 77-feet long with a 110-foot wingspan. They were capable of 230-mph due to twin Pratt & Whitney 18 Cylinder Engines. The Operational Ceiling was 21,000-feet with a 3,800-mile range. Over 300 were built during The War. The “Provider” remained in American Inventory until the 1980s.