Shorts SC-5 Belfast

The Shorts SC-5 Belfast was a large British strategic military transport aircraft developed by Short Brothers and Harland in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Designed to meet a Royal Air Force requirement for a long-range heavy-lift freighter, it entered service with the RAF in 1966 and was capable of carrying oversized cargo including vehicles and helicopters. The Belfast featured a high-wing configuration, a rear-loading ramp, and a pressurized fuselage allowing the carriage of both freight and troops. Ten aircraft were built in total, and the RAF operated them primarily through No. 53 Squadron until they were prematurely retired in 1976 due to defence budget cuts. Following RAF retirement, several Belfasts were acquired by the civil cargo operator HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, which operated them commercially into the 1990s on outsized cargo routes worldwide. The type was notable for its ability to carry loads too large for most contemporary aircraft.