Here's a cut & paste from an earlier post of mine in October 2013 which some may not have seen. I think it makes an interesting comparison between three contemporaneous Western military transports.
I think that the Belfast's principal qualities were the length and increased cross-section of its cargo bay compared with the C-130. It was effectively 50% more in both dimensions.
It's weaknesses were that it was slow, lacked range as a strategic load lifter and it didn't have the versatility to match the tactical ability, rough field and STOL, offered by the C-130.
Had THOR, SKYBOLT and other missile programs not been cut then it would have been needed in more numbers and ergo, it's production run would have been longer and perhaps it's unit cost would have come down to a level to make other sales a viable possibility. We will never know, but the flight deck was enormous and from what I heard, it was liked by the crews that flew it.
MB
General characteristics - C133 Cargomaster
- Crew: six (two pilots, two engineers, navigator, loadmaster)
- Capacity: Designed as a logistics transport, the C-133 carried only small numbers of passengers, usually associated with the cargo.
- Payload: 110,000 lb (50,000 kg)
- Length: 157 ft 6 in (48.0 m)
- Wingspan: 179 ft 8 in (54.8 m)
- Height: 48 ft 3 in (14.7 m)
- Wing area: 2,673.1 ft² (248.34 m²)
- Empty weight: 109,417 lb (49,631 kg)
- Loaded weight: 275,000 lb (125,000 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 275,000 lb (C-133A) / 286,000 lb (C-133B) (125,000 kg (C-133A) / 130,000 kg (C-133B))
- Powerplant: 4× Pratt & Whitney T34-P-9W turboprops, 7,500 shp (5,586 kW) each
- * Cargo deck : 86 ft 10 in (26.47 m)
Performance
General characteristics - Belfast C Mk 1
- Crew: Basic aircrew 4 (two pilots, engineer & navigator/radio operator) plus reserve crew
- Capacity: 11,750 cu. ft.
- Payload: 80,000 lb (36,288 kg)
- Length: 136 ft 5 in (41.70 m)
- Wingspan: 158 ft 10 in (48.1 m)
- Height: 47 ft (14.33 m)
- Wing area: 2,466 ft² (229.1 m²)
- Empty weight: 130,000 lb (59,020 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 230,000 lb (104,300 kg)
- Powerplant: 4× Rolls-Royce Tyne R.Ty.12, Mk. 101 turboprops, Hawker Siddeley Dynamics 4/7000/fully-feathering airscrews of 16 ft. diam., 5,730 ehp (4,270 kW) each
Performance
General characteristics - C 130 H
- Crew: 4-6: at least 2 pilots,1 flight engineer (eliminated in the J variant, replaced by crew chief), and 1 loadmaster; additional loadmaster and navigator are usually part of the crew
- Capacity:
- 92 passengers or
- 64 airborne troops or
- 74 litter patients with 2 medical personnel
- Payload: 45,000 lb (20,000 kg) including 2-3 Humvees or an M113 Armored Personnel Carrier
- Length: 97 ft 9 in (29.8 m)
- Wingspan: 132 ft 7 in (40.4 m)
- Height: 38 ft 3 in (11.6 m)
- Wing area: 1,745 ft² (162.1 m²)
- Empty weight: 83,000 lb (38,000 kg)
- Useful load: 72,000 lb (33,000 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 155,000 lb (70,300 kg)
- Powerplant: 4× Allison T56-A-15turboprops, 4,300 shp (3,210 kW) each
Performance