U-8 / RU-8 Seminole

The Beech L-23 Seminole entered service in 1952 as an Army liaison/utility transport. The civilian Twin Bonanza flew in versions L-23A through L-23E, while the Queen Air was the L-23F. In 1962 the L-23D was redesignated as U-8D, and the L-23F as U-8F.

The Beechcraft Queen Air is in military service as the U-8F Seminole both as an executive aircraft and a feeder liner. A model used by the US Army is the B-80. During the Vietnam war the Army employed signals intelligence collection systems mounted in RU-8 Seminole aircraft. The wings are low-mounted and unequally tapered with blunt tips, featuring wide wing roots and positive slant. Two piston engines are mounted in and extending beyond the wings' leading edges. The fuselage is shhort, thick, round, and tapered to rear section. The tapered nose features a stepped cockpit. The tapered tail flats have blunt tips and high-mounted on body with positive slant. The swept-back tail fin has a square tip.

The Operation Support Airlift (OSA) Command was created in FY 92 and combined Active and Reserve Component OSA operations, began the retirement of non-standard aircraft (T-42, U-8, U-21), and started the modernization of the remaining fleet of C-12, C-20, C-21 and C-26 airplanes. In June 1993 the Chief of Staff Army gave the continental United States (CONUS) OSA mission to the ARNG.