Operational History
The C-23A Sherpa entered USAF service in 1985 and continuing in use in the EDSA role until 1990, when the EDSA role was disbanded. Six aircraft were passed to the United States Army, where they were used to support the Army National Guard, joining 10 new build C-23B Sherpa aircraft. Other variants are C-23B+ and C-23C. The C-23 replaced the UV-18 Twin Otter in U.S. service. The C-23 is the only cargo plane operated by the U.S Army.
During Iraq War, 2003–present, the C-23 has served the Army's intra-theater needs of cargo and personnel transport. It provides an economic alternative for transporting some 20 people or 3 pallets of cargo when speed is not critical.
On 13 June 2007, the Alenia C-27J was selected to replace the C-23 in US Army service. A total of 43 C-23s were in service with the US Army as of November 2008.
Read more about this topic: Short C-23 Sherpa
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