Editing Intermodal container (section)

=== U.S. military ===

[[File:Retrograde Operations, Afghanistan 130922-F-YL744-210.jpg|thumb|Tri-con being loaded onto a [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130]] in Afghanistan]]

[[File:A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter carries a sling-loaded shipping container during retrograde operations and base closures in the Wardak province of Afghanistan 131026-A-SM524-737.jpg|thumb|A U.S. Army [[Boeing CH-47 Chinook|CH-47]] Chinook helicopter carries a sling-loaded {{convert|20|ft|m|adj=on}}  shipping container during retrograde operations and base closures in the Wardak province of Afghanistan]]

The United States military continues to use small containers, strongly reminiscent of their Transporter and [[Conex box]]es of the 1950s and 1960s. These mostly comply with (previous) ISO standard dimensions, or are a direct derivative thereof. Current terminology of the United States armed forces calls these small containers [[Bicon box|Bicon]], [[Tricon box|Tricon]] and [[Quadcon box|Quadcon]], with sizes that correspond with (previous) [[ISO 668]] standard sizes 1D, 1E and 1F respectively. These containers are of a standard {{convert|8|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} height, and with a footprint size either one half (Bicon), one third (Tricon) or one quarter (Quadcon) the size of a standard 20-foot, one TEU container.<ref>[http://www.cmci.com/Bicons.aspx Bicon Transport Storage Units – Charleston Marine Containers Inc.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908054444/http://www.cmci.com/Bicons.aspx |date=8 September 2015 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.maloystorage.com/quadcon-tricon-1.php Tricon Dry Freight Container – Maloy Mobile Storage] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411141111/http://www.maloystorage.com/quadcon-tricon-1.php |date=11 April 2014 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.maloystorage.com/quadcon-96-quadcon.php Quadcon Dry Freight Container – Maloy Mobile Storage] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411143451/http://www.maloystorage.com/quadcon-96-quadcon.php |date=11 April 2014 }}</ref> At a nominal length of {{convert|10|ft|m|2}}, two Bicons coupled together lengthwise match one 20-foot ISO container, but their height is {{convert|6|in|mm|0}} shy of the more commonly available 10-foot ISO containers of so-called 'standard' height, which are {{convert|8|ft|6|in|m|2|abbr=on}} tall. Tricons and Quadcons however have to be coupled transversely&nbsp;– either three or four in a row&nbsp;– to be stackable with twenty foot containers.<ref>[http://www.matts-place.com/intermodal/part4/usau1186720.jpg A 20-foot module of USAU containers]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024201000/http://www.matts-place.com/intermodal/part4/usau1186720.jpg |date=24 October 2016 }}</ref> Their length of {{convert|8|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} corresponds to the width of a standard 20-foot container, which is why there are forklift pockets at their ends, as well as in the sides of these boxes, and the doors only have one locking bar each. The smallest of these, the Quadcon, exists in two heights: {{convert|96|in|m|2|abbr=on}} or {{convert|82|in|m|2|abbr=on}}.<ref>[http://www.maloystorage.com/quadcon_tricon.php Quadcon and Tricon – Maloy Mobile Storage] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214151023/http://www.maloystorage.com/quadcon_tricon.php |date=14 February 2015 }}</ref> Only the first conforms to ISO-668 standard dimensions (size&nbsp;1F).