20 Cold War-Era Warplanes of the U.S. Air Force

C-82 Packet

Fairchild’s all-metal C-82 Packet replaced smaller World War II-era cargo aircraft like the C-47 Skytrain. Design elements in the Packet, such as high wings and clamshell rear doors which made loading much easier and tricycle landing gear are featured in modern cargo planes. The Packet could transport troops, drop paratroopers, carry litters for medical evacuation, haul gliders, or carry supplies — which it did during the Berlin Airlift.