737 X USN = C-40

Flight Journal, Oct 2001 by Harbour, Mike

FLYBYS

The U.S. Navy is the latest to acquire the popular Boeing 737 airliner. Based on the 737-700 and designated the C-40A Clipper, the Navy's version of the 737 will replace the McDonnell Douglas C-9B that is used by the Reserves logistics support wing.

Like the C-9B, the 737 will be used to transport passengers and cargo worldwide. It can be configured to carry 121 passengers, up to eight cargo pallets, or a combination of both over a range of 3,000 nautical miles. Navy Reserve Squadron VR-59 based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, took delivery of the first two C-40s in late April, and three more are on order. Like their fighter-jet counterparts, the Navy's 737 cockpit crews will enjoy programmable liquid-crystal displays. New CFM56-7 engines give the C-40s a maximum cruise speed of nearly 0.8 Mach.

The Navy isn't the first U.S. military service with 737-based aircraft. Starting in the early 1970s, the Air Force began to train navigators in 737-200s it called "T-43As." -Mike Harbour