CASR  Background   ~  Tactical Airlift

CF  Tactical Airlift Project  and the  Airlift Capability Project - Tactical

The Tactical Airlift Project and the Airlift Capability Project - Tactical  were both aimed at replacing the oldest of the Canadian Forces’ Hercules tactical transport aircraft. The TacAir project came to fruition under  the Martin  Liberal goverment with an order for 16 x C-130J Hercules.  Denounced by the Opposition parties as “sole-sourcing”,  this order was cancelled  by the in-coming Conservative MND, Gordon O’Connor who had criticized Liberal exclusion of  the larger Boeing C-17.

The Harper Conservative government quickly shifted focus to strategic airlifters. An ACAN was issued to fulfill the Airlift Capability Project-Strategic which was aimed specifically at the C-17.  Airlift Capability Project-Tactical was announced at the same time – 05 July 2006 – for Hercules replacements but this followed the more leisurely path of a request for Letters of Interest from all qualified suppliers.

On 20 December 2007, a deal was signed with  Lockheed Martin for the purchase of  16 x C-130J Hercules.  All 16 aircraft will be of the stretched C-130J-30 model.

Previous CASR Background pages on the C-130J and other submissions for CF Hercules replacement tactical transport have been archived and are listed below.


C-130Js for Airlift Capability Project-Tactical
Now confirmed,  Lockheed Martin’s modernized C-130J ‘Super Hercules’ has been ordered to fill the CF’s ACP-T. The new tactical transports will be delivered 2010-2012 and all 17 are ’-30 models.

C-130J-30 Hercules: the Long and the Short of It
The CF’s new Hercules will all be long CC-130J-30 models. There are some advantages to the ‘stretch’ version but, as in all  things, there are trade-offs as well. We weigh the pros and the cons of  stretches.

C-130J/-30 Lease Offers to Canada
In early 2005, Canada received  lease offers on C-130J Hercules – first from the RAF,  then  direct  from Lockheed Martin.  Ex-RAF Hercules could have been in service by 2006, new C-130J-30s by 2008. So why no response from DND?

SAI’s ‘C-130M’  Rebuilt  Herc Proposal
Snow Aviation, an unexpected bidder on ACP-T, proposed remanufacturing old CF Hercules. But DND specified new aircraft. SAI’s bid was a non-starter but  the tech- nology behind it  (which included Canadian engines) was well worth considering.

Tactical Airlift: CANSEC Update [April 2006]
New government and FWSAR entanglements, where do Hercules replacement efforts go from here. Updates on the C-130J, C-17 and A400M.

An Airbus Offer: Airlifters With a Tactical Twist
DND’s Tactical Airlift contest looked like a shoe-in but Airbus has spun an unexpected and original 2- stage proposal.  How will Lockheed respond to it?

Earlier CC-130 Rebuild Proposal
Proposals to rebuild  CF Hercules are not new. Back in mid-2003, the Air Force was told to ‘recycle’ its modernized CC-130E components by finding good used  C-130H airframes. The result would  have been a younger, standardized ’H fleet. A sound concept but complex and of no interest to the AF.