Fokker F27 Friendship
Summary
| Category | Transport aircraft |
| Origin country | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
| First flight | 24 November 1955 |
| Year of introduction | 1958 |
| Number produced | 586 units |
Description
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner developed and manufactured by the Dutch aircraft company Fokker. It first flew in 1955 and entered airline service in 1958. The F27 was one of the most successful European airliners of the 1960s and 1970s.
Designed as a replacement for the venerable Douglas DC-3 and aimed to provide a modern, efficient, and reliable airliner for short- to medium-haul routes, it quickly gained popularity due to its performance, operating economics, and versatility. The F27 was a pressurized regional airliner capable of operating from grass and gravel airfields, featuring a high-wing cantilever monoplane design with twin turboprop engines mounted on the wings. While prototypes and initial production models were powered by Rolls-Royce Dart engines, later versions used Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A turboprops with much improved performance.
Variants:
- F27-100: Original version with Dart Mk 538 engines, seating 44-52 passengers
- F27-200: Improved version with more powerful Dart Mk 528 engines
- F27-300: Version with lengthened fuselage and 50-56 seats
- F27-400: Further stretch seating 58-65 passengers
- F27-500: Final major variant with PT6A engines and 64-70 seats
- F27-600: Higher gross weight model of F27-500
- F27-700: Last model with modern avionics and 70-80 seats
- F27 Troopship - Transport version for military personnel and cargo
- F27 Mk 500 - Maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft
- F27 Mk 600 - Anti-submarine warfare variant
The F27 Mk 500 and 600 models were equipped with radar, magnetic anomaly detectors, sonobuoys, and armed with torpedoes, depth charges, or bombs for anti-submarine duties. Some military F27s had reinforced floors for carrying light vehicles and troops. Many were fitted with cargo doors on the rear fuselage for paratroop dropping.
Over its service life, the F27 saw significant military utility for transport, patrol and surveillance missions around the world before later models like the Fokker 50 and ATR 72 were introduced. Nearly 150 military F27 aircraft were produced in total.
In total, almost 600 F27 aircrafts (civil and military) were manufactured by Fokker. It was replaced in production by the Fokker 50 in the late 1980s. Notable civil operators included Aer Lingus, Air New Zealand, and Ansett. Military variants were also produced as maritime patrol aircraft. The F27 provided reliable service over its long operational history before being gradually phased out and replaced by modern regional jets.
Technical specifications
| Version: F27-200MAR | |
|---|---|
| Maximum speed | 509 km/h (316 mph) |
| Wing area | 70 m² (753.5 sqft) |
| Wingspan | 29 m (95.1 ft) |
| Height | 8.5 m (27.9 ft) |
| Length | 23.6 m (77.3 ft) |
| Service ceiling | 8992 m (29501 ft) |
| Empty weight | 12148 kg (26782 lbs) |
| Max. takeoff weight | 20410 kg (44996 lbs) |
| Powerplant | 2 × turboprops Rolls-Royce Dart Mk 536-7R delivering 1529 kW |
Current operating countries
| Country | Units | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Iran | 9 | |
|
Thailand | 3 | |
|
Bolivia | 1 | |
|
Philippines | 1 | |
|
Senegal | 1 | |
Numbers in parentheses, e.g. '(+5)', indicate units ordered but not yet delivered.