C-26 Metroliner
ICAO SW4A thin commuter turboprop flown by the National Guard for transport and surveillance. Live C-26 positions.
Flying right now
Live · 30s
No C-26 Metroliner is transmitting ADS-B at the moment.
Military aircraft are not obliged to broadcast, so this happens regularly. The count refreshes every thirty seconds.
Airframe
- Manufacturer
- Fairchild Swearingen
- Role
- Utility transport and surveillance
- Class
- L2T — Landplane, 2 turboprop engines
- Crew
- 2
- First flight
- 26 August 1972
- In service
- 1989
Operators airborne
Nothing of this type is up right now.
About the C-26 Metroliner
The Metroliner is unusually narrow — a cabin you sit in rather than walk down — and that shape came from a 1970s commuter market that wanted speed over comfort. The military bought it as the C-26 largely because it was cheap and available.
The Air and Army National Guard use it for light transport between states, and a number have been fitted with sensor turrets and datalinks for domestic surveillance and counter-narcotics support. Sweden, Argentina and others fly it too.
It appears here in small numbers on short domestic sectors.
Callsign prefixes
- PAT
- Priority Air Transport — US Army
- GUARD
- National Guard flights
How to recognise it
- —A very long, very thin fuselage on a low wing — the narrowest cabin of any aircraft in this class.
- —Two turboprops and a conventional tail, with a long pointed nose.
- —Surveillance aircraft carry a sensor ball under the forward fuselage.
Common questions
+ Why is the Metroliner so narrow?
It was designed for a commuter market that prioritised speed and low drag over cabin comfort. The fuselage cross-section is barely wider than two seats, which makes it distinctive from any angle.
+ What does the National Guard use the C-26 for?
Light transport between units, and in sensor-equipped versions, domestic surveillance, disaster response and counter-narcotics support.
+ Is the C-26 the same as the Merlin?
They are close relatives. The Swearingen Merlin is the corporate version and the Metro the commuter one; both share the same basic airframe and appear under related designators.