There are two types of airlifts in the military, strategic and tactical. An airlift, in logistics, is the act of transporting people or cargo from point to point using aircraft. ...

Strategic airlift

Antonov An-124 loading a container for the Dutch military

Strategic airlift is the use of cargo aircraft to transport matériel, weaponry, or personnel over long distances. Typically, this involves airlifting the required items between two airbases which are not in the same vicinity. This allows commanders to bring items into a combat theater from a point on the other side of the planet, if necessary. Aircraft which perform this role are considered strategic airlifters. This contrasts with tactical airlifters, such as the C-130 Hercules and Airbus A400M, which can normally only move supplies within a given theater of operations. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x1067, 357 KB) Summary Container being lifted into the belly of an Antonov An-124. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x1067, 357 KB) Summary Container being lifted into the belly of an Antonov An-124. ... A cargo aircraft is an airplane primarily designed and used for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. ... Matériel (from the French for equipment or hardware, related to the word material) is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management. ... A weapon is a tool used to kill or incapacitate a person or animal, or destroy a military target. ... Human Resources has at least two meanings depending on context. ... In logistics and military terminology: An airlift is the act of transporting people or cargo from point to point using aircraft. ... Insignia of a United States Navy Commander Commander is a military rank used in many navies but not generally in armies or air forces. ... Lockheed C-130H Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop aircraft that serves as the main tactical airlifter for military forces worldwide. ... Airbus S.A.S., based in Toulouse, France, is an aircraft manufacturer. ... The Airbus A400M is a four-engine turboprop aircraft, designed by Airbus Military to meet the demand of European nations for military airlift. ... In warfare, a theater or theatre is normally used to define a specific geographic area within which armed conflict occurs. ...

Examples of strategic airlifters include:

• Lockheed C-141 Starlifter
• Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
• Ilyushin Il-76 'Candid'
• Antonov An-124 'Condor'
• Antonov An-225 'Cossack'
• Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

The United States has by far the greatest strategic airlift capacity of any nation in the world. Many countries' armed forces possess little or no strategic airlift capacity, preferring to lease from private-sector firms as needed . Alternatively, groups of nations - especially within formal alliances such as NATO - may choose to pool their strategic airlift resources rather than individually duplicating the substantial investment required to purchase and maintain such costly and, in many cases, seldom-used assets. Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ... C-141 Starlifter A C-141 Starlifter leaves a vapor trail over Antarctica // The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter is a military strategic airlifter in service with the United States Air Force. ... The United States Air Force C-5 Galaxy The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is one of the largest military aircraft in the world. ... Ilyushin (Russian: Илью́шин) is a Russian (formerly Soviet) aircraft manufacturer (design office prefix Il), founded by Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin. ... An Il-76 serving Aeroflot The Ilyushin Il-76, NATO codename Candid, is a 4-engined heavy transport aircraft in widespread use in eastern Europe, Asia and Africa. ... Private Antonov AN-2 in the UK Antonov, aka Antonov Aeronautical Scientific/Technical Complex (Antonov ASTC) (Ukrainian: ) is a Ukraine-based (since 1952) aircraft manufacturing and services company (design office prefix An) with particular expertise in the field of very large aircraft construction. ... Antonov An-124-100 The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (NATO reporting name: Condor) is the largest aircraft ever mass produced, and was, until the advent of the Antonov An-225, the largest aircraft in production. ... An-225 carrying a Buran shuttle The Antonov An-225 Mriya (Антонов Ан-225 Мрія, NATO reporting name: Cossack) is a strategic airlift transport airplane that was built by Antonov (ASTC) and is the worlds largest powered aircraft. ... Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (Boeing IDS), based in St. ... The C-17 Globemaster III (P-38 is shown) The C-17 Globemaster III The C-17 Globemaster III is a strategic airlifter manufactured by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, and operated by the United States Air Force and the Royal Air Force. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for collective security established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, DC, on 4 April 1949. ...

That being said, with present technology it is impossible even for the United States to shift a substantial mechanised force, particularly tanks, by air. This difficulty has prompted investment from the US military in lighter armoured fighting vehicles (such as the Stryker), as well as some preliminary research into alternative airlift technologies such as ekranoplan-style planes and airships. The Stryker is a family of eight wheeled, all wheel drive, armored combat vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems and is in current use by the US Army and the Mobile Gun System variant has been ordered by the Canadian Army to replace its fleet of Leopard I tanks. ... An ekranoplan (Russian: , literally screen plane) is a vehicle resembling an aircraft, but operating solely on the principle of ground effect. ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) in flight, November 2, 1931 An airship is a buoyant aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. ...

Tactical airlift

CH-47 Chinook demonstrating airlift capabilities

Tactical airlift is a military term for the airborne transportation of supplies and equipment within a theatre of operations (in contrast to strategic airlift). Aircraft which perform this role are referred to as tactical airlifters. These are typically turboprop aircraft, and feature short landing and take-off distances and low-pressure tyres allowing operations from small or poorly-prepared airstrips. While they lack the speed and range of strategic airlifters (which are typically jet-powered), these capabilities are invaluable within war zones. Larger helicopters such as the CH-47 Chinook and Mil Mi-26 can also be used to airlift men and equipment. Helicopters have the advantage that they do not require a landing strip and that equipment can often be suspended below the aircraft allowing it to be delivered without landing. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x1067, 355 KB) Summary A Chinook demonstrating airlift capabilities, photo taken by me in 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x1067, 355 KB) Summary A Chinook demonstrating airlift capabilities, photo taken by me in 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... An airlift, in logistics, is the act of transporting people or cargo from point to point using aircraft. ... In warfare, a theater or theatre is normally used to define a specific geographic area within which armed conflict occurs. ... A schematic diagram showing the operation of a turboprop engine. ... A Pratt and Whitney turbofan engine for the F-15 Eagle is tested at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, USA. The tunnel behind the engine muffles noise and allows exhaust to escape. ... The Bell 206 of Canadian Helicopters Robinson Helicopter Company (USA) R44, a four seat development of the R22 A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors. ... A Royal Air Force Chinook A field artillery section slingloading a M-198 howitzer for airlift by a CH-47 Chinook The CH-47 Chinook is a versatile, twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. ... Mi-26T at Zhukovski, 1997 The Mil Mi-26 (NATO reporting name Halo) is a Russian/Soviet heavy transport helicopter in service in civilian and military roles. ...

Tactical airlift aircraft are designed to be maneuverable, allowing low-altitude flight to avoid detection by radar and for the airdropping of supplies. Most are fitted with defensive aids systems to protect them from attack by surface-to-air missiles. A C-130 Hercules airdropping a light tank. ... Defensive Aids System (DAS) is a military aircraft system which defends an aeroplane from attack by surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery. ... A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ...

Examples of tactical airlifters include:

• Lockheed Martin/Alenia C-27 Spartan
• Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules
• Antonov An-12
• Airbus A400M
• CASA CN-235

Note: The Airbus Military A400M, a tactical airlifter, does however blur the line between tactical and strategic transports. Airbus stresses its tactical performance but also its strategic capabilities; higher payload, higher range and higher speed than the Hercules. The table below demonstrates this status, the A-400 occupying a "middle ground" between the C-130 and the C-17. It is of course inferior to the C-17 Globemaster III in terms of strategic performance, but boasts improved tactical characteristics. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company is a major unit of Lockheed Martin with headquarters at Fort Worth, Texas. ... Alenia Aeronautica Italian aeronautic company Alenia Difesa Italian defense products company Alenia Spazio Italian aerospace company [now called Alcatel Alenia Space] Alenia Marconi Systems or AMS Anglo-Italian electronic company Categories: Disambiguation ... The Alenia G.222 (Alenia originally Aeritalia) is a medium_sized STOL military transport aircraft. ... Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company is a major unit of Lockheed Martin with headquarters at Fort Worth, Texas. ... Lockheed C-130H Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop aircraft that serves as the main tactical airlifter for military forces worldwide. ... Private Antonov AN-2 in the UK Antonov, aka Antonov Aeronautical Scientific/Technical Complex (Antonov ASTC) (Ukrainian: ) is a Ukraine-based (since 1952) aircraft manufacturing and services company (design office prefix An) with particular expertise in the field of very large aircraft construction. ... The Antonov An-12 (NATO reporting name: Cub) is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft. ... Airbus Military SL (Sociedad Limitada) is a subsidiary of Airbus S.A.S. created for the management of the A400M project, taking over from Euroflag. ... The Airbus A400M is a four-engine turboprop aircraft, designed by Airbus Military to meet the demand of European nations for military airlift. ... The CN-235 is a medium-range turbo-prop aircraft developed jointly between CASA in Spain and IPTN in Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. ... The C-17 Globemaster III (P-38 is shown) The C-17 Globemaster III The C-17 Globemaster III is a strategic airlifter manufactured by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, and operated by the United States Air Force and the Royal Air Force. ...

Performance comparison