Fairchild C - 123 Provider The Fairchild C - 123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and subsequently built by Fairchild Aircraft for the United States Air Force . In addition to its USAF service , which included later service with the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard , it also went on to serve most notably with the United States Coast Guard and various air forces in South East Asia . During the Vietnam War , the aircraft was used to spray Agent Orange . Design and development . The C - 123 Provider was designed originally as an assault glider aircraft for the United States Air Force ( USAF ) by Chase Aircraft as the XCG - 20 ( Chase designation MS - 8 Avitruc ) Two powered variants of the XCG - 20 were developed during the early 1950s , as the XC - 123 and XC - 123A . The only difference between the two was the type of engines used . The XC - 123 used two Pratt & Whitney R - 2800 - 23 air - cooled radial piston engines , while the XC - 123A was fitted with four General Electric J47 - GE - 11 turbojets , in two pods . The XC - 123A also has the distinction , while only experimental , of being the USAF first jet - powered military transport . While the piston - powered XC - 123 was initially well regarded for tactical transport for its ruggedness and reliability and ability to operate from short and unimproved airstrips , the turbojet - powered XC - 123A - designed for high - speed transport between USAF bases for critical parts and personnel - was found unable to operate from short and rough airstrips . There was also no practical speed advantage due to the wing and fuselage design , and a drastic reduction in range . Only the one turbojet - powered test and evaluation version was built . By 1953 , Henry J . Kaiser purchased a majority share in Chase Aircraft , feeling that after having completed C - 119 s for Fairchild under contract , he could take control of the impending C - 123 contract . Two airframes were completed at Kaiser ' s Willow Run factory in Ypsilanti , Michigan , before a pricing scandal that led to Kaiser ' s being told that no further contracts with him would be honored . The C - 123 contract was put up for bid , and the two completed airframes scrapped . The contract was finally awarded to Fairchild Engine and Airplane , who assumed production of the former Chase C - 123B , a refined version of the XC - 123 . Before turning production over to Fairchild , Chase originally named their C - 123B the " AVITRUC " but it never stuck . Operational history . The first recipients of C - 123 aircraft were USAF transport units , soon followed by the United States Coast Guard ( USCG ) who used the aircraft for search and rescue missions , and even the U . S . Air Force Demonstration Team , the " Thunderbirds , " would use C - 123s for a time as a logistics support aircraft for transporting the team ' s ground crews and equipment . The type would also be widely exported under various U . S . military assistance programs , directly from USAF stocks . The aircraft was nearly ignored by the USAF for service in Vietnam , but a political rivalry with the U . S . Army and the Army ' s use of the CV - 2 Caribou and later pre - production order for the de Havilland Canada C - 8 Buffalo , led to a decision to deploy C - 123s there . To compete with the well - performing CV - 2 , the USAF and Fairchild furthered development on the C - 123 to allow it to do similar work on short runways . This additional development increased the utility of the aircraft and its variants to allow it to perform a number of unique tasks , including the HC - 123B which operated with the USCG fitted with additional radar equipment for search and rescue missions through 1971 , and the C - 123J which were fitted with retractable skis for operations in Greenland and Alaska on compacted snow runways . By 1962 , the C - 123K variant aircraft was evaluated for operations in Southeast Asia and their stellar performance led the Air Force to upgrade 180 of the C - 123B aircraft to the new C - 123K standard , which featured auxiliary jet pods underneath the wings , and anti - skid brakes . In 1968 , the aircraft helped resupply troops in Khe Sanh , Vietnam during a three - month siege by North Vietnam . A number of C - 123s were configured as VIP transports , including General William Westmoreland ' s " White Whale " . The C - 123 also gained notoriety for its use in " Operation Ranch Hand " defoliation operations in Vietnam . Oddly enough , the USAF had officially chosen not to procure the VC - 123C VIP transport , opting instead for the Convair VC - 131D . The first C - 123s to reach South Vietnam were part of the USAF ' s Special Aerial Spray Flight , as part of Operation Ranch Hand tasked with defoliating the jungle in order to deny rebels their traditional hiding places . These aircraft began their operations at the end of 1961 . Aircraft fitted with spraying equipment were given the U prefix as a role modifier , with the most common types being the UC - 123B and the UC - 123K . Aircraft configured for this use were the last to see military service , in the control of outbreaks of insect - borne disease . The C - 123 was also used as " jump aircraft " for U . S . Army Airborne students located at Lawson Army Airfield , Fort Benning , Georgia in the late 1970s and early 1980s . This aircraft was used in conjunction with the Lockheed C - 130 Hercules and Lockheed C - 141 Starlifter . With the end of the Vietnam War , remaining C - 123Ks and UC - 123Ks were transferred to tactical airlift units of the Air Force Reserve ( AFRES ) and the Air National Guard ( ANG ) that were operationally - gained by Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) prior to 1975 and Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) after 1975 . The 302nd Tactical Airlift Wing at Rickenbacker AFB ( later Rickenbacker ANGB ) , Ohio flew the last UC - 123Ks Providers in operational service before converting to the Lockheed C - 130 Hercules . Known as the Special Spray Flight , these aircraft were used to control insect - borne diseases , with missions to Alaska , South America and Guam being among the humanitarian duties performed by this Air Force Reserve unit . The final examples of the C - 123 in active U . S . military service were retired from the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard in the early 1980s . Some airframes were transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) for test and evaluation programs while others were transferred to the U . S . Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) for miscellaneous programs . These aircraft were also retired by the end of the 1990s . Experimental projects . In 1954 , the YC - 123D , formerly the XC - 123A prototype , flew in its modified state after being converted by Stroukoff Aircraft . While the most obvious change from the original XC - 123A was the switch of engines , the YC - 123D also had a Boundary layer control ( BLC ) system fitted . This system directs air from the engines at high speed over the top of the wing , making the wing act as if the aircraft is flying at a higher airspeed . As a result , the YC - 123D had a greatly reduced takeoff and landing distance . Compared to the C - 123B , the YC - 123D could land in 755 feet instead of 1 , 200 , and takeoff with only 850 ft of runway instead of 1 , 950 , with a 50 , 000 lb total weight . In 1955 , Stroukoff , under contract from the USAF , produced a single YC - 123E , designed to be able to take off from any surface , and also equipped with BLC . The new aircraft also featured Stroukoff ' s " Pantobase " system , combining a ski system with a sealed fuselage and wing mounted floats , while retaining its normal landing gear . The skis worked both on snow and water , and the system effectively allowed the aircraft to land on water , land , snow or ice . In 1956 , the USAF awarded a contract to Fairchild to design an improved version of the C - 123 under the designation C - 136 , but the contract was cancelled before the aircraft was built . At much the same time the YC - 123H was under development , the product of a Fairchild modification program started in 1956 and completed in 1957 . A " Jet Augmentation Program " for existing C - 123Bs had been initiated in 1955 at the behest of the USAF , and in the YC - 123H contract the USAF expanded it to allow the mounting of two pod - mounted General Electric J85 turbojets . In 1979 , the Royal Thai government , seeking to extend the life of their C - 123 fleet , placed a contract with the Mancro Aircraft Company , supported by the USAF , to convert a single C - 123B to turboprop powerplants . Allison T56 - A - 7 turboprops were used and by the time the aircraft , dubbed C - 123T , was complete it had new " wet " wings , an auxiliary power unit ( APU ) to assist with power movement of the control surfaces , and a heating system for the cargo compartments that also fed a new deicing system . Budgetary restrictions forced the Thai government to abandon the program in 1981 , and with a lack of interested parties development of the C - 123T stopped . However , it concluded the life of the C - 123 by making it the only aircraft type to operate under jet , internal combustion and turboprop engine power , and as a glider , during its history . The C - 123T has recently been revived by a joint venture between the US - based Fleetwings Aircraft Company and the South African company Elmer Group . In 2010 , they announced a project to initially remanufacture old airframes for African customers and , where there was demand , to build new aircraft . The airframes would be fitted with new turboprop Rolls - Royce T56 - A - 15 engines , a glass cockpit and other enhancements . The proposed C - 123T would have had a 25 , 000 lb payload capability , and a take - off run of just over 1 , 000 ft at 50 , 000 lb MTOW . Possible applications included maritime patrol , search and rescue , and even use as a gunship , while roll - on packages have already been developed for mid - air refueling and agricultural applications . Black Spot and other special military C - 123s . During the Vietnam War , some C - 123s were modified for specialized roles . Most of these modifications were on a one - or two - aircraft level . Only the usage of C - 123s as " flare ships " to illuminate targets for fixed wing gunship s such as the AC - 47 and AC - 119G were more numerous . These aircraft , operating under the call - sign " Candle " were flown by the USAF ' s 14th Special Operations Wing . A single C - 123B was tested as a possible replacement for the " Candle " aircraft , with its rear loading ramp removed and replaced with a large box with 28 large lights . The aircraft could continuously light a two - mile circle from an altitude of 12 , 000 ft . This aircraft , under the provisional designation NC - 123B was dropped because the lights , fixed to the aircraft , made it far easier for enemy gunners to track compared to the earlier flare ships . The " Candle " aircraft had an extended life when several UC - 123Ks were transferred to Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand . During that period , it was used as a flare ship as well as a forward air control ( FAC ) aircraft . The flare duties were generally used for troops in contact ( TIC ) while the FAC mission directed air strike s in Laos over the Ho Chi Minh trail . Another NC - 123B was used as a radio relay aircraft over the Ho Chi Minh trail , with equipment to read the signals from various sensors on the ground designed to pick up enemy truck activity . Two C - 123K aircraft modified in September 1965 under Project Black Spot . The Black Spot aircraft were to fit under the " self - contained night attack capability " that was Operation Shed Light ' s primary focus and E - Systems of Greenville , Texas was contracted to complete the modifications . These aircraft featured a variety of new sensors including Low Light Level TV ( LLLTV ) , Forward Looking Infrared ( FLIR ) , and a laser rangefinder . The aircraft looked radically different visibly from its transport brethren , as the new equipment required lengthening the nose by over 50 inches . The aircraft also featured an armament system designed to carry BLU - 3 / B ( using the ADU - 253 / B adapter ) or BLU - 26 / B ( using the ADU - 272 / B adapter ) bomblets , or CBU - 68 / B cluster bomb s . The two aircraft , AF Serial Numbers 54 - 0691 and 54 - 0698 , were first designated NC - 123K in 1968 and then redesignated AC - 123K in 1969 . These NC / AC - 123Ks were first deployed operationally at Osan AB , South Korea between August and October 1968 , and flying in support of operations against North Korean infiltrators approaching by boat . The operations in Korea met with a certain level of success and as a result the NC / AC - 123Ks were transferred to South Vietnam in November 1968 . The aircraft operated there until January 1969 , when they were redeployed to Ubon RTAB , Thailand . The two aircraft were then returned to the United States to Hurlburt Field , Florida in May 1969 , where a second round of training occurred . Four crews attended a ground school in Greenville , Texas and returned to Hurlburt where they flew the aircraft for the first time . The fate of the aircraft is still unclear . Sources have missions terminating in early July 1970 and the aircraft flying to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center ( MASDC ) " boneyard " at Davis - Monthan AFB , AZ , where they were returned to C - 123K standard , then returned to South Vietnam still wearing their camouflage and black undersides for transport duty . However , the official history states that combat operations ceased on 11 May 1969 , with no mention of the second deployment . While the second deployment is mentioned in associated documentation , the only dates are of the arrival in Thailand and there is no information as to when they departed or where their destination was . Covert operations . Southeast Asia . In 1962 , the CIA acquired five C - 123Bs from USAF for Air America to be used in Laos and Vietnam , and another 5 C - 123Bs to be used by Republic of China Air Force ( Taiwan ) top secret 34th Squadron , a Black Ops units called the " Black Bat " , as Flight B section ( Flight A section is the two P2V - 2U / RB - 69A ) . The five Taiwan C - 123Bs were sent to Lockheed Skunk Works for modifications as covert insertion aircraft with " smart " air to air jammer , BSTR system to jam the radars of ground anti - aircraft guns , also added a defensive operator ' s station to operate the jammers on board , with extra fuel in underwing tanks , with 36 Taiwanese crew finished training courses at Pope AFB by November 1962 . The five ROCAF / Taiwan / CIA C - 123Bs would be used over North Vietnam as low level and nighttime covert airdrop aircraft , under the South Star II agreement , under the guise of Taiwan ' s national airline , China Airline , which had " cover story " of operating Vietnamese Air Transport ( VIAT ) in South Vietnam , that was formerly operated by Air America . The secret outfit was based in Saigon , but would fly out of Da Nang for airdrop missions going into North Vietnam , with some were 14 hours long missions . On 1 February 1964 , the overall control of South Star II was transferred from CIA to Studies and Observations Group ( SOG ) , as part of U . S . Military Assistance Command Vietnam ( MACV ) in Saigon . The outfit was redesignated as Det . 1 of USAF ' s 75th Troop Carrier Squadron ( TCS ) , but within SOG was known as the First Flight Detachment ( FFD ) . In May 1964 , under " Project Duck Hook " , six more C - 123s received extensive modifications by Lockheed Air Service at Ontario , California , equipped with ATIR and BSTR ECM packages , ASN - 25 Doppler navigation system , APN - 153 terrain - following radar , a console station for radio operator , new HF radio and other radios . These aircraft were issued to the secret Taiwanese Black Bat unit operating in South Vietnam , In October 1964 , MACV , CIA and ROCAF / Taiwan signed the South Star III agreement to continue the operation in Vietnam . The six " Duck Hook " C - 123Bs were based in Nha Trang , north of Cam Ranh Bay , officially designated as USAF Det . 12 of 1131 Special Activities Squadron . The " Duck Hook " C - 123Bs were updated with RDR - 10 weather radar and ARN - 131 homing receiver in 1966 in order to perform missions over Ho Chi Minh trail . All C - 123Bs were converted to C - 123Ks in 1968 , with two wing - mounted turbjets , plus an ECM upgrade with APR - 25 radar warning receiver and ALE - 1 chaff dispenser . Project " Duck Hook " designation was ultimately changed to " Heavy Hook " . The Det . 12 of 1131 Special Activities Squadron unit at Nha Trang received an outstanding unit award from the USAF , for flying 4 , 000 classified combat and combat support missions from June 1966 to May 1968 . In May 1970s , C - 123Ks from the " Black Bats " supported the secret U . S . military incursion into Cambodia . In October 1970 , flights into Laos began . In March 1972 , the SOG was deactivated , and the Southern Star operation ended with four surviving C - 123Ks returned to Taiwan . On 1 March 1973 , 34th " Black Bat " Squadron of ROCAF / Taiwan was disbanded . Central America . On 5 October 1986 a Corporate Air Services C - 123 Provider ( HPF821 , previously N4410F and USAF 54 - 679 , ( c / n 20128 ) ) departed San Salvador - Ilopango Airport in El Salvador loaded with 70 AK - 47 rifles and 100 , 000 rounds of ammunition , rocket grenades and other supplies . It flew along the coastline of Nicaragua and entered Nicaraguan airspace near the border with Costa Rica . Nearing San Carlos , the plane descended to 2 , 500 feet while preparing to drop off its cargo to Contra fighters . While conducting the drop , the C - 123 was shot down by a Sandinista soldier , using a SA - 7 Grail . CIA pilots Wallace " Buzz " Sawyer and William Cooper were killed in the crash . Loadmaster Eugene Hasenfus parachuted to safety and was taken prisoner . He was later released in December 1986 . The Fairchild C - 123 that was shot down in Nicaragua remains there . Its sister ship , also a Fairchild C - 123 that was purchased by the CIA at the same time as the first one , was then left abandoned at San Jose International Airport for a time and then was purchased for $ 3 , 000 . 00 and disassembled into 7 pieces and transported via boat to Quepos , Costa Rica and then reassembled and is now the center piece of a beachside cocktail lounge just down the street from Manual Antonio national park . Agent Orange controversy . In 2011 , a retired Air Force officer Major Wesley T . Carter filed a complaint with the Air Force Inspector General alleging that the Air Force knew that UC - 123Ks used for spraying Agent Orange in Vietnam remained contaminated and that the Air Force had failed to properly inform flight crews of the risks . In his complaint , Major Carter contends that the Air Force has known since 1994 that the aircraft were contaminated with the defoliant ; he cites the fact that when a former C - 123 was being prepared for a static display that workers had to use HAZMAT suits and respirators . Additionally , it is asserted that when the aircraft was tested by the Air Force , it contained high levels of the known carcinogen polychlorinated dibenzodioxin , studies since confirmed by the Oregon Health Sciences University and Columbia University ' s Mailman School of Public Health . The aircraft which were flown from 1972 – 1982 , were assigned to the Air Force Reserve after their service in Vietnam , and used for normal cargo and aeromedical evacuation missions . Air crews accumulated hundreds of flight hours aboard several contaminated aircraft that were often flown with the windows open due to the smell and eye irritation . Memos surfaced showing that Air Force JAG officers recommended keeping the toxicity information " within official channels . " Further , Carter located Air Force reports of dioxin - contaminated aircraft sold abroad , and of one used at the Robins AFB , Georgia Museum of Aviation with public access to the contaminated surfaces of the aircraft . In 2010 , due to concerns about dioxin contamination , the Air Force took the unusual step of shredding all the remaining surplus C - 123K / UC - 123K aircraft and melting the scraps into ingots for disposal . On 9 June 2011 , the Secretary of the U . S . Air Force Inspector General opted to reject Carter ' s complaints , and in a subsequent message explained , " Unfortunately , we do not have the ability to identify or notify the individuals in the categories you mention " when asked if the military would alert the aircrews regarding their exposure to dioxin . On 18 June 2011 , the veterans ' complaint was accepted with the Department of Defense Inspector General , adding the request that the UC - 123K aircraft themselves be designated by the Secretary of Defense as " Agent Orange Exposure Sites " . In December 2011 , the U . S . Department of Veterans Affairs posted two notices of its decision that , while the post - Vietnam aircraft " may " have been contaminated , the aircrews were " unlikely " to have suffered exposure to dioxin . In an unusual response , the U . S . Center for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry quickly countered the VA position on 25 January 2012 with a statement by their Deputy Director concluding that aircrews and maintenance personnel most likely were exposed well beyond military and government surface - wipe screening levels . In November 2011 , the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine began its own investigation into lingering C - 123 contamination . In April 2012 , the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine released its review of the C - 123 Agent Orange exposure issue and reported their researchers were unable to determine the degree of exposure , if any , which aircrews may have had aboard the contaminated aircraft in the period 1972 – 1982 . Their report was , in turn , challenged by university - based experts , Richard Clapp and Jeannie Stellman , both of whom continue to assert contaminated aircraft exposed the aircrews as well as aerial port and maintenance veterans . As of August 2012 , the U . S . Department of Veterans Affairs has denied service - connection ( the linking of a veteran ' s illness to military service ) to every application for medical benefits . In September 2012 , Thomas Moore , Director of VA Compensation Services , wrote that TCDD ( the well - known toxic component of Agent Orange ) has not been shown to cause harm to humans in his denial of one veteran ' s application . On 25 November 2012 , a committee of scientists and physicians , chaired by Jeanne Stellman , informed the VA Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey that the VA ' s scientific conclusions regarding the C - 123 situation were ill - founded and called on the VA to involve outside experts in a re - evaluation . In August 2013 , the Department of Veteran ' s Affairs approved the disability claim of Lt . Col . Paul Bailey . This is the first time the VA has recognized a crew member ' s claim related to Agent Orange exposure while flying planes after the Vietnam War . Survivors . Museum examples of C - 123s include those located at : Several other examples of C - 123s remain in an active flying status , operated by private owners in the United States or by various air forces worldwide . In popular culture . A C - 123K ( 54 - 709 ) , N709RR ( since destroyed in a crash in 2010 ) was prominently featured in the action film " Con Air " ( 1997 ) ; other C - 123s appeared in " The Living Daylights " ( 1987 ) , " Operation Dumbo Drop " ( 1995 ) and " Air America " ( 1990 ) . Each of these aircraft was previously used for spraying Agent Orange in Vietnam , and sold by the Air Force and the General Services Administration before precautions were established to prohibit the surplus sale of such toxic - contaminated aircraft . Filmmakers frequently use the C - 123 to represent the much larger , four - engine Lockheed C - 130 Hercules . Another prominent use of a C - 123 is seen in the action film " Die Hard 2 " ( 1990 ) , where two pods with fake propellers were added to the wings to make the aircraft resemble a C - 130 . The surreal " touch " is the addition of ejection seats for the pilots , one of which the movie´s main character uses to exit the aircraft on the ground .