The Fairchild C-26 "Metroliner" is the designation for the

Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (previously the Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San ...

series twin

turboprop A turboprop is a turbine engine that drives an aircraft propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction gearbox, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propelling nozzle. Air enters the intake and is compressed by the compressor. Fuel ...

aircraft in the service of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

military. It was not officially named by the US Armed Forces, but is unofficially known by the same name as its civilian counterpart. The C-26A is the military version of the Model SA227-AC Metro III; the C-26B is the military version of the Model SA227-BC Metro III and Model SA227-DC Metro 23; and UC-26C is the military designation for the Model SA227-AT Merlin IVC.

Design and development

The

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

bought eleven C-26A aircraft based on the SA227-AC,Turboprop Production Lists Home Page
Metro production list accessed via this site 25 August 2007. two of these being supplied to the

Venezuelan Air Force , colours = Bleu celeste , colours_label = , march = , "Hymn of the National Military Aviation" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 December (Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = , decorations = , battle_honou ...

. The first three C-26Bs were procured later in the 1980s, two for the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and one for the USAF. These three had been built as SA227-BC models. Later C-26Bs were the military equivalent of the Metro 23 and the USAF took delivery of 37 examples. Some of these were transferred to the

Peruvian Air Force The Peruvian Air Force ( es, link=no, Fuerza Aérea del Perú, FAP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of air power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguardin ...

and the US Army, while six were transferred to the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

as C-26Ds. The US Army also took a second-hand Merlin IVC and operated it as the solitary UC-26C. Fairchild SA-227AC Metro III MMSA PER Wheatley

C-26B Metroliner aircraft at Jacksonville Air National Guard Base

147th Fighter Wing RC-26B Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance aircraft

A Metro III, c/n AC-614, was modified as the Fairchild Aircraft/Lockheed Multi Mission Surveillance Aircraft, featuring a Lockheed

phased array In antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled array of antennas which creates a beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving th ...

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

in a long pod under the fuselage. Several aspects of the MMSA aircraft were incorporated on some USAF C-26s redesignated as the RC-26B, operated by the

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

(ANG) in various states. These aircraft have been primarily used for Department of Defense reconnaissance mission support to various agencies of the

Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...

such as the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

(USCG) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the

War on Drugs The war on drugs is a Globalization, global campaign, led by the United States federal government, of prohibition of drugs, drug prohibition, military aid, and military intervention, with the aim of reducing the illegal drug trade in the Unite ...

, and to USCG and/or the

Federal Emergency Management Agency The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), initially created under President Jimmy Carter by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1978 and implemented by two Exec ...

(FEMA) in the wake of natural disasters. The RC-26B aircraft were originally configured with a belly pod containing a sensor turret and a data recorder. Recently, this pod has been removed and a sensor turret has been added to the belly of the aircraft. Some of the RC-26Bs were operated for a time with civil registrations. On 4 February 2019, a contract for

Elbit Systems of America Elbit Systems Ltd. is an Israel-based international defense electronics company engaged in a wide range of programs throughout the world. The company, which includes Elbit Systems and its subsidiaries, operates in the areas of aerospace, land ...

to provide an avionics upgrade to the Air National Guard's RC-26Bs was announced.Pittaway ''Air International'' March 2019, p. 31. The US Navy operates several C-26D aircraft, modified for range support, at the

Pacific Missile Range Facility The Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands is a U.S. naval facility and airport located five nautical miles (9 km) northwest of the central business district of Kekaha, in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. PMRF is the world's larg ...

at Barking Sands in Hawaii.

Variants

; C-26A : Military version of the Metro III (Model SA227-AC). ; C-26B : Military version of the Metro III (Model SA227-BC) and Metro 23 (Model SA227-DC). ; RC-26B : C-26B modified with electronic surveillance equipment for drug interdiction missions. Ten remain in service with the Air National Guard as of March 2019. ; UC-26C : Was a used 1983-built Merlin IVC operated for several years as 89-1471. Baugher, Joe
"USAF FY1989 Serial Number list"
USAF Aircraft. Retrieved: 11 June 2011. Modified with an integrated sensor package including forward-looking infrared and high resolution radar. ; C-26D : C-26Bs transferred from USAF inventory and modified with new navigation equipment for the US Navy, four used for rapid response cargo and passenger transportation in Europe. ; EC-26D : One range support aircraft operated by the US Navy's

at Barking Sands. ; RC-26D : Two range support aircraft operated by the US Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands with installed radar units. ; C-26E : Upgrade of 11 C-26B aircraft including an improved Rockwell Collins Proline 21 Electronic Flight Instrument System.

Use for surveillance of protests

In early June 2020, the US National Guard deployed an RC-26B to El Dorado Hills near Sacramento, California, apparently in response to a walking tour by young black entrepreneurs. The deployment occurred without the knowledge or approval of

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom (born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman who has been the 40th governor of California since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th lieutenant governor of California fr ...

, the Governor of California. Three more RC-26Bs were used to observe demonstrators in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.

Operators

;Barbados *

Barbados Air Wing The Barbados Defence Force (BDF) is the name given to the combined armed forces of Barbados. The BDF was established 15 August 1979, and has responsibility for the territorial defence and internal security of the island. The headquarters for th ...

–

Regional Security System The Regional Security System (RSS) is an international agreement for the defence and security of the eastern Caribbean region with future expansion planned with South America. History The Regional Security System was created in 1982 to counter ...

2 C-26A ;Colombia *

Colombian Air Force , "We are the Force" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Colombian Air Force Hymn , mascot = Capitan Paz , anniversaries = 8 November , ...

Colombian National Police The National Police of Colombia (Spanish: ''Policía Nacional de Colombia'') is the national police force of the Republic of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military Forces of Colombia (Army, Navy, and Air Force), it ...

;Mexico *

Mexican Air Force The Mexican Air Force (FAM; es, Fuerza Aérea Mexicana) is the primary aerial warfare service branch of the Mexican Armed Forces. It is a component of the Mexican Army and depends on the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA). The objective of t ...

- 2 as of December 2018.Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 49. ;Peru *

- 3 as of December 2018.Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 52. ;Trinidad and Tobago * Trinidad and Tobago Air Guard - 2 as of December 2018.Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 57. ;United States *

Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 58. *

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 59. *

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

;Venezuela *

- 1 as of December 2018.Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 60.

Specifications (C-26A)

References

Bibliography

* Donald, David, general editor. ''Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. Etobicoke, ON: Prospero Books, 1997. . * Endes, Günter. "Fairchild (Swearingen) Metro/Merlin". ''The Illustrated Directory of Modern Commercial Aircraft''. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing Company, 2001. . * Frawley, Gerard. "Fairchild Dornier Metro II, III & 23". ''The International Directory of Civil Aircraft''. Canberra: Aerospace Publications Pty. Ltd., 1997. . * Hoyle, Craig. "World Air Forces Directory". ''Flight International''. 4–10 December 2018, Vol. 194, No. 5665, pp. 32–60. . * Palmer, Trisha, ed. "Swearingen Metro and Metro II/III". ''Encyclopedia of the World's Commercial and Private Aircraft''. New York: Crescent Books, 2001. . * Pittaway, Nigel. "Elbit to upgrade Condors". ''

Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fir ...

'', March 2019, Volume 96, No. 3. p. 31.

External links

US Navy C-26 Fact File

{{US transport aircraft C-026 Swearingen aircraft 1970s United States airliners Twin-turboprop tractor aircraft