The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (a name which was never official) was based on the earlier C-82 twin boom transport and which had a distinguished history in that role but also as a gunship. The C-119 retained its predecessor's twin-boom configuration albeit with a number of refinements to correct previous deficiencies such as a cockpit which was moved forward, more powerful engines, and a wider airframe. As a result the C-119 became the USAF's transport of choice for airdropping of supplies and for paratroop operations thanks to the large clamshell doors in the rear of the main pod and were used to great effect during the Korean War, in Indochina supplying the beleaguered French garrison in Dien Bien Phu, and also as gunships during the Vietnam War against the Ho Chi Minh Trail. They were ultimately phased out during the late 1960s although some would be used as recovery aircraft for NASA's reentry capsules. The last C-119 was retired from Air National Guard units in 1975 but others were still used with various foreign operators including Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, France, India, Italy, South Vietnam and Taiwan.

The first C-119 prototype was in reality a converted C-82 known as the XC-82B which first flew in November 1947 with deliveries beginning at the end of the decade as the C-119B. Minor improvements followed in the C-119C and C-119F before the definitive C-119G with multiple equipment changes (some were fitted with beaver-tail cargo doors as the C-119J or were given three-bladed propellers as the C-119L). Gunship conversion variants began with the AC-119G Shadow which included fixed miniguns, night observation sights, armor protection and was used primarily during the Vietnam War. The similar AC-119K Stinger was used for night operations and added 20-mm rotary cannons and a forward looking infrared (FLIR) sensor among other avionics; it also added a pair of J85 turbojets for additional thrust. Other variants were the EC-119J satellite tracker while USN units were given the designations R4Q-1 (C-119B/C) and R4Q-2 (F).