Fall 2026 Militaria and Aviation Auction
Lot 372:
Description
USAF Type C-2A Pneumatic One-Man Life Raft Carrying Case, Spec. MIL-R-5863-A, New York Rubber Corp., Cold War / Korean War Era Kit Pack. Offered here is a Type C-2A pneumatic one-man life raft carrying case, the standard emergency flotation container issued to United States Air Force aircrew during the early Cold War and Korean War periods. Manufactured by New York Rubber Corp. to specification MIL-R-5863-A, the pack was built to attach directly to an aviator’s parachute harness or ejection seat rig, placing critical survival equipment within immediate reach in the event of a water landing. The photographs establish no individual recipient, unit, or aircraft association; the story here rests entirely in the pack’s official contract markings and construction. The C-2A kit pack represents a link in the postwar evolution of aircrew water-survival gear, succeeding earlier WWII-era single-man raft assemblies as jet-age speeds and ejection systems demanded faster, more reliable access to flotation equipment. New York Rubber Corp. was among the principal military contractors supplying inflatable rafts, life vests, and related aeronautical survival gear to U.S. forces from the Second World War through the 1950s, equipping bomber and fighter crews across the Korean conflict and the broader early Cold War buildup. Packs of this type were carried aboard aircraft or worn integrated with harness systems. The case is constructed of heavy olive drab cotton duck, closed along its top edge by a substantial metal track zipper; the slider is intact and functions, though its pull tab is absent. Two aluminum snap hooks are fitted to the sides for harness attachment, flanking bold stenciled lettering reading "NO HANDLE" on the front panel. The reverse panel carries a wide reinforced web strap stitched horizontally across its center, with additional fabric loops at each corner for retention or lashing. A stencil on the interior/underside of the case reads "RAFT, PNEUMATIC, TYPE C-2A, " "SPEC. MIL-R-5863-A, " "NEW YORK RUBBER CORP., " together with contract number and "THIS RAFT WILL BE TESTED AND INSPECTED BEFORE ISSUE"; fields for manufacturer’s serial number and date of manufacture are present but have faded to illegibility. Condition throughout is very good for a surplus survival item of this age: the canvas shows mild fading, scattered soil and water staining, and light surface rubbing consistent with service use, while the metal hardware displays minor surface oxidation and handling scuffs. The stenciled markings, though soft with age, remain legible under raking light, and the zipper track operates smoothly along its full run. A well-marked and structurally sound C-2A raft pack that preserves, in its own stenciled specifications and contractor’s name, a tangible piece of early USAF aircrew water-survival engineering.
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