Curtiss C-46 Commando

1942 military subtype, essentially the pre-production version of the Commando.

25 Commandos produced for the USAAF

The "straight" C-46 was a batch of pre-production Commandos completed to initial specifications. They descended directly from the C-55 prototype, albeit with a few modifications:

• More modern and powerful 2,000-hp "B" Series Pratt & Whitney R-2800-43 replaced the 1,850-hp "A" Series R-2800-5;
• Unpressurized cabin;
• Less cabin windows;
• No fairing plates between the two fuselage bulbs, saving 275 lbs in weight at no cost to performance.

The C-46 was operationally tested with various airlines, which operated them on Air Transport Command routes, before turning them over to the military.