cargo-containers.jpg

Now the same containers

that ride ships, trains, trucks

…fly Lockheed airfreighters

Used to be that shipping by water, by surface or by air called for special packing and handling to fit each carrier. Now the trend is to intermodal containers – vans, bulk commodity units, cargo cages and pallets – which eliminate repacking and standardize handling.

It’s no coincidence that Lockheed airfreighters accept all these standard containers, right up to the big 8x8x40-foot size. For Lockheed designed the rugged propjet Hercules and the new fanjet StarLifter with freight interchange compatibility in mind, and these containers slide into the big planes at truckbed height through full-opening rear doors.

What’s ahead for commercial airfreight in efficient cargo operations, may be judged by recent Air Force demonstrations. Using mechanized freight shifters, a fully loaded StarLifter was emptied in 6 minutes, the cargo reloaded into Hercules in 8 minutes. It’s a great combination: StarLifter for long haul at jet Speeds, and Hercules for the perfect feeder freighter.

Lockheed-Georgia: A Division of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation.

LOCKHEED