Short C-23 Sherpa

The Short C-23 Sherpa is a small military transport aircraft built by Short Brothers and designed to operate from unpaved runways with short take-off and landing. It has a large squared fuselage with a full-width rear cargo door and ramp. The C-23A and C-23B are variants of the Short 330 and the C-23B+ is a variant of the Short 360. It won an early 1980s competition for a light cargo aircraft to carry spare parts between United States Air Force bases in Western Europe, the freighter first flew on 23 December 1982, and about 60 aircraft were used. The United States Army finally retired it in 2014, though it remains in service in countries such as the Philippines and Djibouti.