A high-wing twin engined transport that served in the War of Independence. The DC-5 is an excellent example of the way the fledgeling IAF bought any plane it could get it hands on, regardless of its quality.
The DC-5 was an extraordinary plane, in more than one sense. For one thing, only 12 were ever built. It had a nose wheel, which was a first in the IAF. It was probably the first transport ever to have that kind of landing gear configuration. The plane required three crew members, and could carry up to 22 passengers. The outbreak of WW2 marked the end of the DC-5's production.
The DC-5 that eventually made it to Israel had quite a convoluted history. It was originally sold to Dutch airline KLM, which sold it to an Australian airline, which sold it to an Australian charter airline, that used it to carry Italian migrants to Australia. Word of the plane's existence reached Israel's purchase team in Europe, and the plane was bought and flown to Israel in early June 1948. It was in state of sad disrepair, and all attempts to fix it failed. In the end, it was disassembled and taken to the IAF's Technical School in Haifa, where it served for training airframe fitters.