This all purpose military transport aircraft was introduced into service with the RAF in 1955. Designed for long ranges, it would carry both troops and heavy loads at the same time. A wide variety of heavy equipment of all types could be airtransported or parachuted. In the latter role the rear sections of the fuselage (which opened to enable loads to be stowed internally) were removed to allow the parachutes to develop and pull the load out of the aircraft. In this role it could carry heavy drop loads up to 25,000 lbs in weight.
In the parachuting role it carried 70 fully equipped parachutists, 30 jumping from an aperture in the Boom and 40 from the double doors either side of the Lower Deck. Aperture and door jumping could not however be done simultaneously. Its max range was 3,690 miles with a top speed of 238 mph.
During the spring of 1957 "D" Company of 1 Para was sent down to RAF Station Boscombe Down Research Centre to test all aspects of using this aircraft for dropping paratroopers. We used all three exits at once and tested out all the problems that arose from doing this. We all found the jump from the boom was the best one, as you had a small bench seat to sit on and the exit hatch so big you just marched out. The only problem was climbing up the inside wall of the aircraft carrying your chute and weapon container. Inside the main body of the aircraft you sat in string bags hanging from the roof of the plane, though they were fairly comfortable. We were at Boscombe Down for a couple of weeks and did about 40 jumps each during this time.