The de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo is a short takeoff and landing (

STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft that can takeoff/land on short runways. Many STOL-designed aircraft can operate on airstrips with harsh conditions (such as high altitude or ice). STOL aircraft, including tho ...

) utility transport

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 developed from the earlier piston-powered

DHC-4 Caribou The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (designated by the United States military as the CV-2 and later C-7 Caribou) is a Canadian specialized cargo aircraft with STOL, short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1 ...

. The aircraft has extraordinary STOL performance and is able to take off in distances much shorter than even most

light aircraft A light aircraft is an aircraft that has a Maximum Takeoff Weight, maximum gross takeoff weight of or less.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 308. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. Light aircraft are use ...

can manage.

Design and development

The Buffalo arose from a 1962

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 ...

requirement for a STOL transport capable of carrying the same payload as the CH-47A Chinook helicopter.''Air International'' August 1976, p. 59.

De Havilland Canada De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (DHC) is a Canadian aircraft manufacturer that has produced numerous aircraft models since its inception including the popular De Havilland Canada Dash 8, Dash 8. The company's primary facilities were loca ...

based its design to meet the requirement on an enlarged version of its

, already in large-scale service with the United States Army, to be powered by

General Electric T64 The General Electric T64 is a free-turbine turboshaft engine that was originally developed for use on helicopters, but which was later used on fixed-wing aircraft as well. General Electric introduced the engine in 1964. The original engine desig ...

s rather than the Pratt & Whitney R-2000

piston engine A reciprocating engine, more often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more Reciprocating motion, reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a Circular motion, rotating motion. This article ...

s of the Caribou. (It had already flown a T64-powered Caribou on 22 September 1961). Egyptian Air Force de Havilland DHC-5 Buffalo Janura

De Havilland's design, the DHC-5 Buffalo, was chosen as the winner of the United States Army competition in early 1963, with four DHC-5s, designated YAC-2 (later CV-7A and subsequently C-8A) ordered.Harding 1990, p. 104. The first of these aircraft made its maiden flight on 9 April 1964.''Air International'' August 1976, p. 70. All four aircraft were delivered in 1965, the Buffalo carrying nearly twice the payload as the Caribou while having better STOL performance. The prototype CV-7A was exhibited by the manufacturer at the 1965

Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (, ''Salon du Bourget'') is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in France. Organized by the French aerospace industry's primary representative body, the ''Groupement des industries frança ...

wearing US Army markings. No further US orders followed, however, as at the start of 1967 (See the

Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966 The Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966 was an agreement between United States Army Chief of Staff General Harold K. Johnson and United States Air Force Chief of Staff General John P. McConnell on 6 April 1966. The U.S. Army agreed to give up i ...

), inter-service politics led to large fixed-wing transports being transferred to 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 ...

, who considered themselves adequately equipped with the

Fairchild C-123 Provider The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Reserve a ...

. Company data claims a takeoff distance over a obstacle of at and a landing distance of over a obstacle of at for the DHC-5A model. In the early 1980s, de Havilland Canada attempted to modify the Buffalo for civilian use. The aircraft was to be branded as the "Transporter." After loss of the demonstration aircraft (SN ''103 C-GCTC'') at the 1984

Farnborough Airshow The Farnborough International Airshow is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors in Farnborough, Hampshire. Since its first show in ...

, the project was abandoned. A production DHC-5D Buffalo was used for breaking time-to-height records for the weight category on 16 February 1976, reaching in 2 min 12.75 sec, in 4 min 27.5 sec and in 8 min 3.5 sec.''Air International'' August 1976, p. 64.

New production

On 24 February 2006,

Viking Air Viking Air Ltd. was an operator and manufacturer of aircraft, as well as aircraft parts and systems, based at Victoria International Airport in North Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The company provides upgrades to the DHC-2 Beaver, spare ...

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, a manufacturer of replacement parts for all out-of-production de Havilland Canada aircraft, purchased the type certificates from Bombardier Aerospace for all versions of the DHC-1 through DHC-7 series aircraft, giving Viking exclusive rights to manufacture and sell new aircraft of those types. In December 2008, Viking Air indicated their intention to put the Buffalo series back into production at their home factory in Victoria, British Columbia or in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...

. A potential new production Buffalo would have had Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150 turboprops, a

glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features an array of electronic (digital) flight instrument display device, displays, typically large liquid-crystal display, LCD screens, rather than traditional Analog device, analog dials and gauges ...

, enhanced vision and

night vision goggle A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD) or night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The ...

capability. The aircraft was proposed as a replacement for the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

fleet of existing DHC-5As but was not one of the three aircraft in the final assessment, in 2016, which selected the

EADS CASA C-295 The Airbus C295 (previously CASA C-295) is a medium tactical transport aircraft that was designed and initially manufactured by the Spanish aerospace company CASA, which is now part of the European multinational Airbus Defence and Space divi ...

. Several letters of intent for the DHC-5NG were received in 2014.

Operational history

In late 1965, one of the prototype DHC-5s operated by the

U.S. 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 ...

was deployed to

Bien Hoa Air Base Bien Hoa Air Base (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Sân bay Biên Hòa'') is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about from Ho Chi Minh City, across the Dong Nai river in the norther ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

for a three-month evaluation period, assigned to the 2nd Flight Platoon of the 92nd Aviation Company. The

first acquired 15 DHC-5A designated as CC-115 for tactical transports. These were initially operated at CFB St Hubert, QC by No. 429 Squadron in a tactical aviation role as part of Mobile Command. In 1970, the Buffalo aircraft were transferred to a transport and rescue role with No. 442 Squadron, No. 413 Squadron and No. 424 Squadron as part of Transport Command. No. 426 Squadron also flew the aircraft for training. Some were leased back or loaned back to the factory for trials and eventually returned to military service. Three of the aircraft were also deployed on UN missions to the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

with No. 116 Transport Unit until 1979. They had a white paint scheme which was retained while they were serving in domestic transport with 424 Sqn in between deployments. On 9 August 1974, Canadian Forces CC-115 Buffalo 115461 was shot down by a

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...

, killing all nine CF personnel on board. This represents the single biggest loss of Canadian lives on a UN mission as well as the most recent Canadian military aircraft to be shot down. Production of the DHC-5A ended in 1972 after sales to

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

but restarted with the DHC-5D model in 1974. This variant sold to several overseas air forces beginning with

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Production of the DHC-5D ended in December 1986.Taylor 1988, p. 21. In 1975, the Buffalo dropped its tactical transport role and was converted to domestic search and rescue, except for a few that kept serving on UN missions. The initial paint scheme for the SAR converted aircraft were white and red while others still had the original drab paint. The previous drab paint and white paint were eventually replaced with the distinctive yellow and red scheme commonly seen today. The number of aircraft have been reduced to eight, with six on active service, one in storage (recently dismantled) and one used for battle damage training. The remaining operational Buffalos operate in the

Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

role for No. 442 Squadron at

CFB Comox Canadian Forces Base Comox , commonly referred to as CFB Comox or 19 Wing, is a Canadian Forces base on Vancouver Island in the Comox Valley, north northeast of Comox, British Columbia. It is primarily operated as an air force base by the Roy ...

. Air Command was renamed the ''Royal Canadian Air Force'' in 2011, meaning the CC-115 has served with the RCAF, Air Command and now the RCAF once again. The Buffalo was replaced by the CC-130 Hercules aircraft at search-and-rescue bases in CFB Greenwood and

CFB Trenton Canadian Forces Base Trenton (also CFB Trenton), formerly RCAF Station Trenton, is a Canadian Forces base located within the city of Quinte West, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is the hub ...

. As early as 2002, Canada has tried to replace both the Buffalo fleet and the SAR Hercules fleet with a newer aircraft. For some time, the Alenia C-27J Spartan was seen as the likely replacement, with the government considering sole-sourcing the new aircraft. However, after changes in Canada's defence budget as well as accusations of bias from the aerospace industry, the Buffalo replacement program was relaunched as an open competition. After review from the National Research Council, the Department of National Defence as well as consultation with the Canadian aerospace industry, a request for proposal was published in 2015. Bidders included Alenia offering the

C-27J Spartan The Alenia C-27J Spartan is a military transport aircraft developed and manufactured by Leonardo's Aircraft Division (formerly Alenia Aermacchi until 2016). It is an advanced derivative of the former Alenia Aeronautica's earlier G.222 (C-27 ...

Airbus Defence and Space Airbus Defence and Space is a division of Airbus SE. Formed in 2014 in the restructuring of European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS), Airbus SE comprises the former Airbus Military, Astrium, and divisions. Contributing 21% of Airbus reven ...

with its C-295 and

Embraer Embraer S.A. () is a Brazilian multinational aerospace corporation. It develops and manufactures aircraft and aviation systems, and provides leasing, equipment, and technical support services. Embraer is the third largest producer of civil air ...

with its KC-390. In 2016, the Department of National Defence awarded Airbus a contract for 16 C-295s with delivery scheduled to begin in 2019 and running through 2022. On 15 January 2022, the RCAF officially retired the final two operational CC-115s. A retired but operational aircraft is found at

Canada Aviation and Space Museum The Canada Aviation and Space Museum () (formerly the Canada Aviation Museum (''Musée de l'aviation du Canada'') and National Aeronautical Collection (''Collection aéronautique nationale'')) is Canada's national aviation history museum. The m ...

in Ottawa.

Demonstrators for new technologies

The Buffalo was a suitable airframe for converting to demonstrate some new technologies. NASA C-8A AWJSRA in flight

Augmented Wing Jet-flap STOL Research Aircraft

A cooperative NASA/Canadian Government research program on augmentor wing concepts started in 1965 and culminated in the need for a proof-of-concept aircraft. A

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

C-8A Buffalo (later named ''Bisontennial'' in 1976) was modified in 1972 for augmentor-wing jet STOL research. The modifications were done by

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

de Havilland Canada De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited (DHC) is a Canadian aircraft manufacturer that has produced numerous aircraft models since its inception including the popular De Havilland Canada Dash 8, Dash 8. The company's primary facilities were loca ...

and Rolls-Royce of Canada Ltd. The wing had a reduced span to give a wing loading representative of future aircraft. It also had full-span leading edge slats, blown ailerons and double-surface flaps enclosing a venturi-shaped passage. The usual turboprop engines were replaced with

Rolls-Royce Spey The Rolls-Royce Spey (company designations RB.163 and RB.168 and RB.183) is a low-bypass turbofan engine originally designed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce that has been in widespread service for over 40 years. A co-development version of the ...

801 SF (Split Flow) bypass engines with a new bypass duct which separated the hot and cold flows to provide both propulsion and augmentor airflow to the powered lift system. Baugher, Joseph F
"1963 USAF Serial Numbers."
''USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to Present'', 2008. Retrieved: 13 September 2009.Buser, Wayne E

''The deHavilland Caribou (DHC-4) and Buffalo (DHC-5) Website'', 2006. Retrieved: 13 September 2009."First Augmentor Wing Aircraft Flight."
''The Astrogram'', Volume XIV, Issue 16, 11 May 2005, pp. 1–2. Retrieved: 13 September 2009."N716NA."
''Airliners.net'', Aviation Photos. Retrieved: 13 September 2009. The hot flow was directed through Pegasus-engine swivelling nozzles to ensure it deflected with the flap downwash. The cold flow was directed into the flap venturi and entrained extra airflow. Beginning in 1972 with its first flight in this experimental configuration, this aircraft was used jointly by the

NASA Ames Research Center The Ames Research Center (ARC), also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laborat ...

and the Canadian Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce for STOL research."STOL Buffalo Flies."
''Flight International'', Volume 101, Issue 3295, p. 658. Retrieved: 13 September 2009.

Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, NASA used another C-8A Buffalo in the Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft program.Norton, Bill
''STOL Progenitors: The Technology Path to a Large STOL Transport and the C-17A''.
Reston, VA: AIAA, 2002. .
''GlobalSecurity.org''. Retrieved: 13 September 2009.Shovlin, Michael D. and John A. Cochrane
"An Overview of the Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft Program."
''nasa.gov'', 1978. Retrieved: 13 September 2009."N715NA."
''Airliners.net'', Aviation Photos. Retrieved: 13 September 2009. Boeing designed and installed an experimental swept, supercritical wing incorporating a boundary layer control system. Instead of the standard engines, this aircraft was powered by four prototype Avco Lycoming YF102 high-bypass turbofan engines (originally from the Northrop YA-9 program) mounted above the wing to take advantage of the

Coandă effect The Coandă effect ( or ) is the tendency of a jet (fluid), fluid jet to stay attached to a surface of any form. ''Merriam-Webster'' describes it as "the tendency of a jet of fluid emerging from an orifice to follow an adjacent flat or curved s ...

. In 1980, this aircraft participated in carrier trials aboard USS ''Kitty Hawk'', demonstrating STOL performance without the use of catapults or arrestor gear. The aircraft is currently stored at NASA's

Ames Research Center The Ames Research Center (ARC), also known as NASA Ames, is a major NASA research center at Moffett Federal Airfield in California's Silicon Valley. It was founded in 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laborat ...

Mountain View, California Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. Named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the population was 82,376 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mountain V ...

Air Cushion Landing System Aircraft

After demonstrations by Bell aircraft using a Lake LA-4 light amphibian with Air Cushion Landing Gear the development of this type of gear was pursued in a joint effort between the

USAF 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 ...

and the Canadian Government by retrofitting a similar system to a medium cargo transport, a Buffalo. The air supply to the cushion was provided by an air supply package consisting of a PT6F-70 and two-stage axial flow fan under each wing. The aircraft also had underwing combination floats/skids.

Variants

;DHC-5 Buffalo: Originally designed as a twin-engined STOL tactical, utility transport aircraft 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 ...

. Original US Army designation AC-2. ; :Utility transport aircraft for the

Brazilian Air Force The Brazilian Air Force (, FAB) is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Brazilian Brazilian Army Aviation (1919–1941), Army and Brazilian Naval Aviation, Nav ...

and

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 ...

. Canadian designation CC-115. ;DHC-5B : Proposed version, powered by two General-Electric CT64-P4C turboprop engines. Not built. ;DHC-5C : Proposed version, powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.12 turboprop engines. Not built. ;DHC-5D : Improved version, powered by two 2,336 kW (3,133 shp) General Electric CT64-820-4 turboprop engines. ;DHC-5E Transporter : Civil transport version. ;NASA / DITC C-8A AWJSRA : One C-8A aircraft converted into an augmentor wing research aircraft. ;XC8A ACLS : One C-8A aircraft converted into an air-cushion landing system research aircraft. ;NASA / Boeing QSRA C-8A : One C-8A converted into a quiet short-haul research aircraft. ;Viking DHC-5NG Buffalo NG : Proposed redesigned new production version to be built by Viking Air. ''NG'' is the company marketing term indicating ''Next Generation''"DHC-5NG Buffalo versus C-27J Spartan."
''Viking Air'', January 2009. Retrieved: 13 September 2009."Buffalo NG News."
''Viking Air'', January 2009. Retrieved: 13 September 2009.

Canadian military designations

; :Canadian military designation for 15 DHC-5As. DHC-5 CV-7A 63-13688 Army LEB 19

United States military designations

;AC-2 :Designation for four DHC-5s for evaluation by the United States Army. ;CV-7A :Redesignation of four United States Army AC-2s. ;C-8A :United States Air Force designation for four CV-7As transferred from the Army in 1967.

Brazilian military designations

;C-115 :Designation for the DHC-5A.

Operators

Civil

; * Summit Air (8199400 Canada Inc.) operated two DHC-5D (ex- Oman Police Air Wing 1979 and 1981/ Shuttle Air Cargo (Congo); transferred from Arctic Sunwest Charters in 2013); C-FASV was sold to Nyassa Air Taxi (Malawi) 2015 with lease to UN OFP and C-FASY stored since 2012 (civil registration cancelled in 2015) ; *

Ethiopian Airlines Ethiopian Airlines (), formerly ''Ethiopian Air Lines'' (EAL), is the flag carrier of Ethiopia, and is wholly owned by the country's government. EAL was founded on 21 December 1945 and commenced operations on 8 April 1946, expanding to intern ...

1 DHC-5D (ET-AHI lost in crash 1988) ; * Nyassa Air Taxi 1 ex- Summit Air DHC-5D

Military

This is a list of former military operators. The last six RCAF Buffalos served with No. 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron based in Comox, BC, until the type was finally retired in 2022 after 55 years of service. ; / * Abu Dhabi Defence Forces Air Wing – (Retired). *

United Arab Emirates Air Force The United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) () is the air force of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), part of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. Its predecessor was established in 1968, when the Emirates were still under British rule. Since then, ...

(Retired) ; *

Cameroon Air Force The Cameroon Air Force (, AdAC) is the air force of Cameroon. The Cameroon Air Force, along with the Cameroon Army, the Cameroon Navy (including the Naval Infantry), the National Gendarmerie, and the Presidential Guard make up the Cameroonian ...

(Retired) ; *

Chilean Air Force The Chilean Air Force () is the air force of Chile and branch of the Chilean military. History The first step towards the current FACh is taken by Lieutenant Colonel, Teniente Coronel training as a pilot in France. Although a local academy was c ...

(Retired) ; (previously ) *

Air Force of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The Congolese Air Force (, or FAC) is the air force branch of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa). From 1971 to 1997, it was known as the Zairian Air Force (, or FAZA). FAC currently possesses numerous aircr ...

(Retired) ; *

Ecuadorian Air Force The Ecuadorian Air Force (; FAE) is the air branch of the Armed Forces of Ecuador. Mission To develop the military air wing, in order to execute institutional objectives which guarantee sovereignty and contribute towards the nation's security an ...

(Retired) *

Ecuadorian Army The Ecuadorian Army () is the land component of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces. Its 25,650 active soldiers are deployed in relation to its military doctrine. The contemporary Ecuadorian Army incorporates many jungle and special forces infantry un ...

(Retired) ; *

Egyptian Air Force The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) () is the aviation branch of the Egyptian Armed Forces that is responsible for all airborne defence missions and operates all military aircraft, including those used in support of the Egyptian Army, Egyptian Navy ...

(9) (Retired) TNI-AL De Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo at Halim Perdanakusuma

; *

Indonesian Army The Indonesian Army ( (TNI-AD), ) is the army, land branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It has an estimated strength of 300,400 active personnel. The history of the Indonesian Army has its roots in 1945 when the (TKR) "People's Se ...

(ex-UAE, Retired) *

Indonesian Navy The Indonesian Navy (, TNI-AL) is the Navy, naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol Indonesia's lengthy coastline, to enforce and patrol the territorial waters and Exclus ...

(ex-UAE, Retired) ; *

Kenya Air Force The Kenya Air Force (KAF) or is the national aerial warfare service branch of the Republic of Kenya. The main airbase operating fighters is Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, while Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi is the headquarters. Other ba ...

(Retired) ; * Mauritanian Air Force - bought four DHC-5Ds in 1978 (Retired) Mexican Navy DHC-5D Buffalo

; *

Mexican Navy The Mexican Navy () is one of the components of the Mexican Armed Forces. The Secretariat of the Navy is in charge of administration of the navy. The commander of the navy is the Secretary of the Navy, who is both a cabinet minister and a career ...

(Retired) ; * Royal Oman Police Air Wing (Retired) ; *

(Retired) ; *

Sudanese Air Force The Sudanese Air Force () is the air force, aerial warfare branch of the Military of Sudan, Sudanese Armed Forces. It was established in 1956 following Sudan's independence earlier that year, and first saw action in the First Sudanese Civil War. ...

– 4 (Retired) ; * Tanzania Air Force Command – 6 (retired) ; *

Military of Togo The Togolese Armed Forces (, FAT) is the national military of the Republic of Togo which consists of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Gendarmerie Nationale Togolaise, National Gendarmerie. The total military expenditure during the fiscal year o ...

(Retired) ; *

(Retired) *

2 C-8A at Ames Research Center (Retired) ; *

Zambian Air Force The Zambia Air Force (ZAF) is the air force of Zambia and the air operations element of the Zambian Defence Force. Following the creation of the Republic of Zambia in 1964, the former Northern Rhodesia Air Force was renamed as the Zambia Air For ...

(Retired)

Accidents and incidents

In total, 26 accidents involving hull losses have been recorded. * On 9 August 1974, a Canadian Forces CC-115 operating for the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

was shot down over Syria with the loss of five crew and four passengers. * On 27 May 1979, a Mauritania Islamic Air Force DHC-5D crashed in the sea off the coast of

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The Departments of Senegal, department of Dakar has a population of 1,278,469, and the population of the Dakar metropolitan area was at 4.0 mill ...

, Senegal, killing all 12 occupants of the aircraft. The Prime Minister of Mauritania Ahmed Ould Bouceif died in the crash. * At the 1984

, a DHC-5D

demonstration ended in a very heavy landing which destroyed the aircraft. * On 21 June 1989, a

de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo crashed into a mountain near

Tarma Santa Ana de la Ribera de Tarma, known as Tarma, is the capital city of Tarma Province in Junín Region, Peru. The city has a population of 43,042 as of the 2017 census. History Pre-Hispanic era Recent archaeological excavations show that pri ...

, killing all six crew and 53 passengers in the deadliest accident involving the DHC-5 Buffalo. *On 17 February 1990, a

de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo crashed on approach to Lusaka Airport in

Lusaka Lusaka ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was abo ...

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

, killing all 29 people on board. * On 16 April 1992, a

de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo lost power in one of its engines, and during its final approach, it overshot the runway and crashed into a residential area near Moi Air Base,

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. The accident killed all 42 passengers and four crew members and six people on the ground. * On 27 April 1993, a

de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo carrying most of the Zambian national football team to a FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Senegal in Dakar crashed shortly after takeoff from a refuelling stop in

Libreville Libreville (; ) is the capital and largest city of Gabon, located on the Gabon Estuary. Libreville occupies of the northwestern province of Estuaire Province, Estuaire. Libreville is also a port on the Gabon Estuary, near the Gulf of Guinea. A ...

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

. There were no survivors. * On 22 March 2025, a Trident Aviation de Havilland Canada DHC-5D Buffalo crashed near Ceel Xabaalbow, Somalia, killing all five people on board.

Specifications (DHC-5D)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *

External links

Viking Air – current DHC-5 certificate holder and planned manufacturer

Royal Canadian Air Force CC-115 Buffalo website

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Havilland Canada Dhc-5 Buffalo

DHC-5 The de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo is a short takeoff and landing (STOL) utility transport turboprop aircraft developed from the earlier piston-powered DHC-4 Caribou. The aircraft has extraordinary STOL performance and is able to take off ...

1960s Canadian civil utility aircraft 1960s Canadian military utility aircraft High-wing aircraft Viking Air aircraft T-tail aircraft STOL aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1964 Twin-turboprop tractor aircraft Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear

Design and development

New production

Operational history

Demonstrators for new technologies

Augmented Wing Jet-flap STOL Research Aircraft

Quiet Short-Haul Research Aircraft

Air Cushion Landing System Aircraft

Variants

Canadian military designations

United States military designations

Brazilian military designations

Operators

Civil

Military

Accidents and incidents

Specifications (DHC-5D)

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links