Stirling V LJ530 1945
The Stirling V aircraft, which had its prototype LJ530 converted on the Rochester production line and was flown by Tyson in August 1944, was designed as a versatile transport plane for personnel, cargo, and vehicles, and had no armament. The plane had a crew of five and could accommodate 40 troops or 20 fully equipped paratroops, or 12 stretchers and 14 sitting casualties, or two jeeps with trailers or a single jeep with a 6-pounder field gun, trailer, ammunition, and crew. It had an extended nose that hinged open for light cargo and a large loading door on the starboard side of the rear fuselage that measured 2.9 meters (9 ft 6 in) in width and 1.55 meters (5 ft 1 in) in height, which could be used with portable loading ramps. The Stirling V was intended for use in the Far East campaign to support ‘Tiger Force’. A total of 160 Stirling Vs were built at Belfast by November 1945, when Stirling production ceased. The Stirling V entered service with Transport Command’s Nos. 46, 48, 158, and 242 Squadrons from January 1945 onwards, replacing Stirling IVs in No. 299 Squadron at Shepherd’s Grove in March 1946. A detachment of No. 48 was stationed at Cairo West, and the plane was used to ferry supplies to the Far East through long-stage flights across India and Burma before VJ-Day. The Avro York eventually replaced the Stirling V in Transport Command during 1946.