Douglas C-133 Cargomaster

The Berlin Airlift and Korean War emphasized the importance of airlift capacity.  The C-133 was designed to meet an early 1950s development contract from the USAF for a turboprop transport.

The C-133 had a high-mounted wing, and main landing gear units retracting into external pods
on each side of the fuselage ensuring that the

cargo area was not compromised by these structures.   A complete Inter-continental ballistic missile could be carried.

The first Cargomaster flew in 1956.  The fleet of 50 aircraft were used for transport to Southeast Asia during the Vietnamese War.  Fatigue problems led to their withdrawal from service in 1971.