Concept Design 1960's AEW (Patreon)

A commission I finished for a client recently. They wanted me to design a  transport aircraft that could configured into a variety of different  roles besides troop/cargo hauling.

    After discussions with the  client I was able to determine that they were looking for something  that would've come into existence in the late 1950's. The aircraft's  size was between the Fairchild C-123 and the still in service Lockheed C-130 Hercules

     Originally designed with piston engines the model would later be  fitted with turboprop engines. This model early shows craft that is a  late model piston engine that has been configured to later AEW  configuration. A problem with many early versions airborne electronics  is that they were large, heavy, somewhat fragile, and often generated  lots of heat. Therefore numerous air scoops and radiators have been  fitted to the fuselage and wings to help keep the electronics within  operating temperatures.

    While the aircraft has rough field  capability and it was hoped that the AEW variant would also be able to  operate from such unimproved fields the onboard electronics just  couldn't handle the strain and they were confined to proper paved  runaways. However ground crews did appreciate that you could still lower  the original back loading ramp to access the numerous electronic  components inside.