The armed Army Caribou

[Captain Canada]

I second and third the motion to build more !

[KiwiZac]

DOOO IT! Rhodesian camo'd Caribou as a gunship of some kind - or even as a straight transport - is an awesome idea!

[KiwiZac]

I found an (early?) piece of concept art for the Caribou in a 1957 issue of the US Army's Army Aviation Digest magazine. Rather different layout compared to what we got!


Not just a funky twin-tail but tip tanks and, it seems, a straight wing...who's gonna build it?

[jcf]

J85s with vectoring nozzles.

[KiwiZac]

That 1954 one is cute!

[jcf]

A model of the twin-tail 'Bou built back in 2007 by Seattle area modeler Morgan Girling.
The references used definitely showed the gull-wing.

[rickshaw]

It is such a shame that Caribou models currently cost so much second-hand.   We really need someone like Airfix or Revel to step up and create new models of this excellent aircraft.   Plenty of different liveries to put on them as well:

Abu Dhabi/  United Arab Emirates

    Abu Dhabi Defence Forces Air Wing – Abu Dhabi operated five Caribou.[4]
    United Arab Emirates Air Force

Australia

    Royal Australian Air Force – 18 ordered in 1963, with further orders for seven in 1964 and four more aircraft ordered individually between 1968 and 1971.[5] Retired 2009.
        No. 35 Squadron RAAF 1966–2000 – transferred to No 38 Squadron RAAF.[5]
        No. 38 Squadron RAAF 1964–2009 – all retired.[2][5]
        RAAF Transport Flight Vietnam – seven operated from 1964–1971 and returned to Australia 1972 [5]

Canada

    Royal Canadian Air Force – nine delivered; retired from Canadian Forces in 1971.[4]
        424 Transport and Rescue Squadron

Cameroon

    Cameroon Air Force – two delivered in 1971. The surviving Caribou was sold in 1987.[6]

Costa Rica

    Air Surveillance Service – Two ex-USAF C-7As delivered in the 1980s.[6] Refurbished in July 2010 for the Fuerza Publica.[7]

Ghana

    Ghana Air Force – Ghana acquired eight new-build Caribou in 1963, which were operated until replaced by Fokker F.27-400Ms in 1975.[6]

India

    Indian Air Force – India received 20 new build Caribous, supplementing them with four ex-Ghanaian Caribou in 1975.[6]

The only Iranian DHC-4 Caribou

Iran

    Imperial Iranian Air Force – One aircraft deliverd to Iran. It was retired after Iran–Iraq War.

Kenya

    Kenya Air Force – received six DHC-4As, operating the type from 1966–1987.[6][8]

Kuwait

    Kuwait Air Force – received two aircraft in 1963.[9]

Liberia

    Liberian Army – Two refurbished aircraft were delivered to the Air Reconnaissance Unit in 1989.[10] The aircraft were destroyed during the civil war.

Malaysia

    Malaysian Air Force – retired their Caribous from active service.[11]

Oman

    Sultanate of Oman Air Force[12]

Spain

    Spanish Air Force – received 12 new Caribous later supplemented by 24 former United States Air Force C-7As.[13] Final retirement 12 June 1991.[14]

South Vietnam

    Vietnam Air Force

Sweden

    Swedish Air Force – operated one DHC-4 Caribou designated Tp 55 between 1962 and 1965 for evaluation purposes at F 7 Såtenäs Air Force base.[15]

Tanzania

    Tanzanian Air Force[15]

Thailand

    Royal Thai Police – used three DHC-4A from 1966 to 2005.[16]

Uganda

    Uganda Police Force Air Wing[17]

United States

    United States Army
    United States Air Force

Vietnam

    Vietnam People's Air Force – captured several ex-VNAF airplanes.

Zambia

    Zambian Air Force – operated four Caribou.[18]

[Source]

[kitnut617]

It is such a shame that Caribou models currently cost so much second-hand.   We really need someone like Airfix or Revel to step up and create new models of this excellent aircraft.   Plenty of different liveries to put on them as well:

I agree with you there Brian ---

I've got three in the stash (1/72 Hobbycraft ones), but one of them was bought for donor parts for my Combat Models Buffalo

[Captain Canada]

Love it ! Great thread guys.

[KiwiZac]

That model of the concept is great!

[Captain Canada]

Radome and tail feathers from a Hawkeye. I think I was going to convert it to a turbine, I think I was copying that company from NJ that convert them, as they look very similar to the radial version.

[Captain Canada]

Oh, it's part started somewhere in the stash !

[KJ_Lesnick]

You know it would be pretty cool a Caribou concept with the following

• Hardpoints on the Wings or Gunpods on the wings
  
• A pair of gunpacks on either side of the fuselage or
  
• A lengthened nose with gun-pack
  

The idea is to take 'mo dakka to a comical extreme.