CASA C-212 Aviocar
The CASA C-212 Aviocar is a turboprop-powered STOL medium cargo aircraft designed and built by CASA in Spain for civil and military use. Development. During the late 1960s, the Spanish Air Force was still operating a number of outdated piston-engined transports, including the three-engined Junkers Ju 52 and two-engined Douglas C-47. In order to meet the Spanish Air Force's needs to modernise its transport force, CASA proposed the C-212, a twin engined 18 seat transport aircraft that would be capable of fulfilling a variety of military roles, including passenger transport, ambulance aircraft  and paratroop carrier, while also being suitable for civil use. The first prototype flew on 26 March 1971. In 1974, the Spanish Air Force decided to acquire the Aviocar to update its fleet. Airlines took note of the type's success with the military, so CASA developed a commercial version, the first examples of which were delivered in July 1975. In August 2006 a total of 30 CASA C-212 aircraft (all variants) remain in airline service around the world. The -400 was introduced in 1997 with a glass cockpit and more powerful engines. In 2010, Airbus Military said it could  no longer afford to produce the C-212 in Europe and after production in Seville slowed to four in two years, the last C-212 produced in Spain was delivered in late December 2012 to the Vietnam Marine Police. Over 42 years, 477 aircraft have been produced for 92 operators. Indonesian production. IPTN and Nurtanio assembled the type under license at Bandung, Indonesia, during the 1970s and 1980s. In mid-2011 Airbus agreed to collaborate with their successor PTDI, which holds a license to sell the C-212 in Asia. PTDI built the NC-212-200 and the -400 upgrade, with new digital avionics and  autopilot, and a cabin for up to 28 passengers. In 2014, PTDI stopped producing the -400 series and moved production to the improved NC-212i model. Design. The C-212 has a high-mounted wing, a boxy fuselage, and a conventional tail. The tricycle undercarriage is non-retractable. It has space for 21–28 passengers depending on configuration. Since the C-212 does not have a pressurized fuselage, it is limited to relatively low-flight-level airline usage (below MSL). It is thus ideal for short legs and regional airline service. Operational history. The C-212 is used as a transport, for rain-making, surveillance  or search and rescue, and in 2013, 290 C-212s were flying in 40 countries with the most in Indonesia with 70. It has seen especially wide employment as a commuter airliner and a military aircraft, with its operators including numerous charter and short-haul aviation companies and several national air forces. The C-212 is also in the service of the United States Army Special Operations Command with the designation C-41A, which utilizes the aircraft for troop infiltration and exfiltration, supply drops, and airborne operations. Due to the presence of a rear ramp, the C-212 has also gained popularity among skydivers  and smokejumpers. Variants. Series 200. Stretched version with updated engines (Honeywell TPE331-10R-511C or −512C, rated at 900 shp (671 kW) each), introduced in 1979. The CASA C-212-200 is also a popular skydiving aircraft, known for its large capacity, fast climb, and large tailgate exit ramp. Series 300. Standard production version from 1987 on. Engines were Honeywell TPE331-10R-513C, also rated at continuous (925 shp maximum). The propellers were changed from four-bladed Hartzell composite blade propellers to four-bladed Dowty-Rotol all-metal propellers. Winglets and a larger vertical stabilizer area provide improved performance, and the addition of  a nose baggage compartment gives the nose a more streamlined look than the Series 200. Various systems have been incrementally upgraded, including the addition of an integrated autopilot system. Series 400. Upgraded version with TPE331-12JR-701C engines, increased payload and upgraded avionics moved from under the floor to the nose. First flew 4 April 1997, replacing Series 300 in production from 1998. The C-212-400 received Spanish certification in 1998. Between 2004 and 2008, production jigs and fixtures for the NC-212-400 were relocated to Bandung from San Pablo, Spain and PTDI became the sole manufacturer of the NC-212 family . In 2014, NC-212-200 and NC-212-400 production ended and production moved to the improved NC-212i version. NC-212i. Improved version of -400 series, using two Honeywell TPE331-12JR-701C turboprop engines, with maximum output of . The rotor is four-bladed Dowty Rotol R334/4-82-F/13 constant speed propeller with a 2.75 m (110-inch) in diameter. Incidents and accidents. As of September 2011, CASA C-212s have been involved in 71 hull-loss incidents with a total of 558 fatalities. The incident may have been a Bosnian Serb response to the shootdown, eight days before, of several Bosnian Serb aircraft by NATO  fighters.