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, Cabin pressurization, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation, Swearingen ...

series twin

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

aircraft in the service of the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

. 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. The C-26D provides rapid-response transportation for supplies and personnel to remote airfields.

Design and development

The

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

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 Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela (), is a professional armed body designed to defend Venezuela's sovereignty and airspace. It is a service component of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela. Etymology The organization is al ...

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

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

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 (, FAP) is the branch of the Peruvian Military of Peru, Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of aerial warfare, air power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguarding i ...

and the US Army, while six were transferred to the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

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 (radio), antenna theory, a phased array usually means an electronically scanned array, a computer-controlled Antenna array, array of antennas which creates a radio beam, beam of radio waves that can be electronically steered to point ...

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

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 Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...

(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, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...

such as the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

(USCG) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in the War on Drugs, 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 military technology company and defense contractor. Founded in 1966 by Elron, Elbit Systems is the primary provider of the Israeli military's land-based equipment and unmanned aerial vehi ...

to provide an avionics upgrade to the Air National Guard's RC-26Bs was announced.Pittaway ''Air International'' March 2019, p. 31. The U.S. Navy operates several C-26D aircraft, modified for range support, at the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands in Hawaii. The C-26A has also been used as a trainer for U.S. Navy test pilots.

Operational history

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 serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served from 2011 to 201 ...

, the Governor of California. Three more RC-26Bs were used to observe demonstrators in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. In January 2023, the U.S. Air Force retired its RC-26B Condors.

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 remained in service with the Air National Guard as of March 2019, but all were retired during 2023. ; 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 Pacific Missile Range Facility 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.

Operators

;Barbados * Barbados Air Wing – Regional Security System 2 C-26A ;Colombia *

Colombian Air Force The Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC, ) is the air force of the Republic of Colombia. The Colombian Aerospace Force is one of the three institutions of the Military Forces of Colombia charged, according to the 1991 Constitution, with working to exe ...

* Colombian National Police ;Mexico *

Mexican Air Force The Mexican Air Force (FAM; ) is the air service branch of the Mexican Armed Forces. It is a component of the Mexican Army and as such overseen by the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA). The objective of the FAM is to defend the integrity, in ...

- 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 The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It consists of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, the Trinidad and Tobago Coas ...

- 2 as of December 2018.Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 57. ;United States *

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

Hoyle ''Flight International'' 4–10 December 2018, p. 59. 11 SA-227 Metro (C-26E) as of January 2025 *

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

;Venezuela *

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

Former

;United States *

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

Virtual Museum – Fairchild

{{US transport aircraft 1970s United States airliners Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear C-026 Swearingen aircraft Twin-turboprop tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft