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Military gliders have been used by the militaries of various countries for carrying troops and heavy equipment to a combat zone, mainly during the Second World War. These engineless aircraft were towed into the air and most of the way to their target by military transport planes, e.g., C-47 Skytrain or Dakota, or bombers relegated to secondary activities, e.g., Short Stirling. Most military gliders do not soar, although there were attempts to build military sailplanes as well, such as the DFS 228.
The XCG-16 was a military transport/assault glider ordered by the Army Air Force, from General Airborne Transport Co., for competition against the Waco CG-13A at Wright Field.
The Waco CG-15 was an American military glider, which was developed from the CG-4. Although outwardly similar to its predecessor and carrying the same number of passengers, a number of changes in the design, including shortened wings and a more streamlined nose enabled it to travel faster. 1,000 were ordered and 473 were delivered before production ceased. Two were transferred to the Navy for testing as the XLR2W-1. One unit was converted into an XPG-3 powered glider which used two Jacobs R-755-9 radial engines.
The DFS 331 was a transport glider prototype developed in a collaboration between DFS and Gotha. It was a twenty-seat troop transport designed by Hans Jacobs, who had previously produced the successful, nine seat DFS 230.
The Waco CG-3A was a US light troop military glider of World War II.
The Waco CG-4 was the most widely used American troop/cargo military glider of World War II. It was designated the CG-4A by the United States Army Air Forces, and named Hadrian in British military service.
The Chase XCG-18A and YC-122 Avitruc was a military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and produced in limited numbers in the United States in the late 1940s, initially as a glider, but definitively in powered form. The design was based on the CG-14 cargo glider but was substantially larger and featured all-metal construction. It was a high-wing cantilever monoplane. The fuselage was of rectangular cross-section and featured a loading ramp at its rear. The main undercarriage units were carried at the sides of the fuselage and were fixed, while the nosewheel was retractable. In its powered form, two radial engines were fitted in nacelles in the wings.
The Chase XCG-20, also known as the XG-20 and by the company designation MS-8 Avitruc, was a large assault glider developed immediately after World War II by the Chase Aircraft Company for the United States Air Force, and was the largest glider ever built in the United States. The XG-20 did not see production due to a change in USAF requirements, however, it was modified into the successful Fairchild C-123 Provider twin-engined transport aircraft which saw extensive service in the Vietnam War.
The Douglas XCG-17 was an American assault glider, developed by the conversion of a C-47 Skytrain twin-engine transport during World War II. Although the XCG-17 was successful in testing, the requirement for such a large glider had passed, and no further examples of the type were built; one additional C-47, however, was converted in the field to glider configuration briefly during 1946 for evaluation, but was quickly reconverted to powered configuration.
The Waco CG-13 was an American military transport glider aircraft developed during World War II.
The Cornelius XFG-1 was an American military fuel transporting towed glider, without a tailplane and with a forward-swept wing. Two were built but development ended in 1945.
The St. Louis CG-5 was a 1940s American prototype military transport glider designed and built by the St. Louis Aircraft Corporation.
The Pratt-Read TG-32 was a 1940s American military training glider, designed and built by the Gould Aeronautical Division of the piano manufacturer Pratt, Read & Company of Deep River, Connecticut, for the United States Navy. The Pratt-Read glider was a monoplane glider having a fabric-covered steel tube fuselage and wooden wings and tail. The unique "polywog (tadpole)" shape was the suggestion of aerodynamicist Charles Townsend Ludington, former owner of the Ludington Line.
The Chase CG-14, also known as the G-14 or Model MS.1, was an assault glider manufactured by Chase Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The aircraft failed to progress beyond the prototype stage, being overtaken by larger, improved glider designs.
The Hindustan Aircraft G-1 was a Second World War Indian transport glider, the first design of Hindustan Aircraft Limited, only one glider was built.
The Christopher AG-1 was a proposed Second World War American assault glider part of a United States Army assault glider project, none were built and the programme was cancelled in September 1943.
The Timm AG-2 was a proposed Second World War American assault glider part of a United States Army assault glider project, none were built and the programme was cancelled in September 1943.
The Frankfort CG-1 was a proposed Second World War American transport glider to be built for the United States Army, none were built and the programme was cancelled.
The Bowlus CG-8 was a prototype Second World War American transport glider to be built for United States Army, one was built but the type did not enter production and the programme was cancelled.
The Douglas CG-19 was a late 1940s assault glider project conceived by the Douglas Aircraft Company.
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Bibliography
- Andrade, John (1979). U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 0 904597 22 9.
- Mrazek, James E. (2011). Airborne Combat - The Glider War/Fighting Gliders of WWII. Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, United States: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0808-1.