CASR   —   Canadian American Strategic Review   —   BG Airlift  CASR |  Government  Documents  |  In Detail  | Modest Proposal  |  Editorials CASR Background pages are listed in reverse chronological order on the index page. This Airlift Index covers Canadian Forces airlifters –  transport aircraft flying in both the tactical and strategic roles. Here, pages are arranged by subject area: strategic, tactical and FWSAR. Earlier CASR pages covering candidates for the Airlift Capability Project contests ( Strategic and Tactical ) have long since been deleted. Many such pages are still available through the Internet Archive  (eg: see 2005's Strategic Airlifters index or  2006's Tactical Airlifters index ). For other listings of Background articles, see BG Archives (for earlier listings) or browse by the relevant subject area in the listing of the other Background sub-indices. These include: Aerospace,  Air Force,  Artillery,  Comparisons,  Helicopters,  Navy,  Projects (for general listings), Sealifters, UAVs (being revised), Vehicles (incl. armoured vehicles) and Weapons. Strategic Airlift – Liberal FTA becomes the Tory's Airlift Capability Project - Strategic CF strategic airlift was covered by the aborted 'Future Strategic Aircraft ' project which was later revived by the Harper Conservatives as their Airlift Capability Project - Strategic.  FTA had danced around alternatives to the Air Forces' desired  Boeing C-17 aircraft.  The ACP-S went directly to an Advance Contract Award Notice for Boeing resulting in RCAF CC-177s. Strategic Airlifter  (Procurement Documents) •  Advance Contract Award Notice for the Airlift Capability Project – Strategic     ACP-S ACAN resulting in the order for four  Boeing CC-177 Globemaster IIIs •  Contract Award Notice for ACP-Strategic – Boeing C-17  Gov't news release •  C-17 Globemaster III Support   US Foreign Military Sales contract for ACP-S •  CC-177 Support Equipment  ACAN  Recovery equipment for crashed airlifters •  CC-177 Cargo Loading System  44K 'Truck Aircraft Side Load/Unload Loader' •  CC-177 Industrial Regional Benefits  Funding for SFU/UBC visual analytics Backing up the RCAF's four  CC-177s  is the Strategic Airlift Interim Solution. SALIS is a European-based NATO organization which Canada joined, giving access to 125 strategic airlift flying hours per annum on 6 leased Antonov An-124-100 aircraft. •  SALIS: NATO's Strategic Airlift Interim Solution Leased Antonov An-124s Tactical Airlift – Hercules Replacement and Airlift Capability Project-Tactical Canadian tactical airlifter procurement followed a similar arch to that of CF strategic airlifters. Successive Liberal governments tried to dodge the Hercules replacement hot potato despite regular public relations embarassments. It was a 2005 decision to deploy to Canadian combat troops to Kandahar that finally pushed Hercules replacement closer to the top of the priority list. In November 2005, a deal was announced with Lockheed Martin for 16  C-130J Hercules. Unfortunately, under the Liberal plan, then-MND Bill Graham, bundled Hercules replacement  together with the ill-considered  FWSAR project (below). This Liberal deal – denounced as 'sole sourcing' by Harper Conservatives in opposition –  was cancelled soon after the Harper Government took power. The Liberal Tactical Airlift Project ceased to exist momentarily, then morphed into the Tories' Airlift Capability Project - Tactical. Ironically, ACP-T quickly turned into a sole-sourcing deal Tory-style, resulting in an ACAN to LockheedMartin with an order for 17 'stretch' model C-130J-30 Hercules being placed in Dec 2007. The first aircraft (130601) flew into CFB Trenton in June 2010, the last C-130J (130617) arrived at Trenton in May 2012. Tactical Airlifters  (Procurement Documents, News Releases, and Background) •  ACP-Tactical  Request for 'Letters of  Interest'   Hercules replacement •  Announcement of  Lockheed Martin C-130J-30  purchase  News release •  Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules FWSAR – the Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Project and its Tactical Aspects Though it's tempting to simply ignore the drawn-out Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue project, FWSAR does involve several transport aspects. First, a major rational for FWSAR is sparing the Hercules fleet – both retained  'H models and CC-130Js bought under ACP-T – from the wear-and-tear and high operating costs of  SAR missions ( the idea being that new FWSAR aircraft would be primary responders with Hercules transports providing SAR back-up like other available CF aircraft). That rationale became somewhat surreal when LockheedMartin itself suggested that the firm might submit another Hercules model for the FWSAR contest. FWSAR aircraft also have their own tactical transport role. This is, in part, inherited from the Arctic supply role currently performed by the existing CF FWSAR types.  But the so-called FWNOR project to replace CC-138 Twin Otters as an Northern fixed-wing utility aircraft has also been rolled into FWSAR (this may lead to the absurd situation of  replacing  float- and ski-capable Twin Otters with the Air Force's desired C-27J Spartans – which weighs almost five times as much and is incapable of operating from many Arctic strips used by 'Twotters'. Despite the FWSAR project remaining unfilled, the Alenia C-27J Spartan can be mentioned specifically because of another FWSAR transport stipulation. Under FWSAR requirements, points will be given to types able to transport a complete replacement propeller for a similar aircraft. Only the C-27J can do this (which lead to speculation that the FWSAR requirement was written around the C-27J in the first place). In any case, FWSAR aircraft will be based in the south with tactical airlift (Arctic or otherwise) comprising a minor part of the $6B project. FWSAR – Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Project  – Background Articles •  FWSAR  –  the Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Project •  FWSAR Project Candidates:  C-27J, C295, DHC-5NG, C-130J, KC-390, and V-22 •  FWSAR  CC-115 Buffalo and Arctic Supply   Arctic Sovereignty Implications Also see: •  In Detail: A Canadian Forces Fixed-Wing Search and Rescue Project Timeline And: •  ModProps: Rethinking Search and Rescue & Interim FWSAR and Arctic Utility  CASR |  Government  Documents  |  In Detail  | Modest Proposal  |  Editorials