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When, in 1934, American Airlines asked Douglas for a larger version of the DC-2, Douglas responded with a 24 passenger aircraft, designated the DC-3. Recognizing its great potential as a military transport, the United States Army specified a number of changes needed to make the aircraft acceptable for military use, including more powerful engines, the removal of airline seating in favor of utility seats along the walls, a stronger rear fuselage and floor, and the addition of large loading doors. A large order was placed in 1940 for the military DC-3, which was designated C-47 and became known as "Skytrain." It was manufactured on both sides, after first having been licensed to Mitsubishi before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and to the Russians, who manufactured it under license as the Lisunov Li-2. During the war, Mitsubishi built their own version, via contract with the Showa and Nakajima companies, which built about 485 "Tabbys" (the code name given to the aircraft by the Allies) as the Showa L2D. Known also as "Dakota", R4D, "Skytrooper" and "Gooney Bird," the Douglas C-47 went through many modifications during its long service life, largely with respect to engine power ratings, but also with structural modifications for specific tasks like reconnaissance and navigation training. It was even tested as a floatplane, and as an engineless glider, a task it performed well at, but too late in the war to matter. By war's end, 10,692 of the DC-3/C-47 aircraft had been built,
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