The
Northrop N-23 Pioneer was designed as a short take off and
landing (STOL) transport and first flew in
1946. Due to the large number of war surplus aircraft, the
Pioneer did not sell.
In 1948, Northrop received a contract to build 23
aircraft based on the N-23 for the U.S. Air
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Force. Designated
the YC-125 Raider, the aircraft was found to be underpowered
for its intended missions--transport to forward combat areas and
Arctic rescue. It was also determined that helicopters were
better suited for these missions. The existing YC-125s were
declared surplus in 1955. |