The YC-14 was built to carry troops and equipment into battle zones with short, temporary airfields. Cargo and wheeled vehicles could be loaded into the wide fuselage via a built-in tail ramp. Although the YC-14 never went into production, its two prototypes, built in 1976, introduced significant technological breakthroughs, most notably an upper-surface-blowing (USB) design for high aerodynamic lift. The achievements of the YC-14 contributed in a significant way to advance studies of STOL technology.