Airlift
3892712
225275975
2008-07-12T20:59:22Z
97.102.224.91
/* Tactical airlift */
{{Refimprove|date=November 2007}}
{{otheruses}}
[[Image:An124lift.jpg|thumb|right|Antonov An-124 loading a container for the Dutch military]]
[[Image:c17.globemaster.arp.jpg|thumb|right|A large military cargo aircraft: the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III]]
An '''airlift''' is the organized delivery of supplies primarily via [[aircraft]].
Airlifting consists of two distinct types, strategic airlifting and tactical airlifting. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving [[materiel]] long distances (such as across or off the continent or theater), whereas a tactical airlift focuses on deploying resources and materiel into a specific location with high precision.
Depending on the situation, airlifted supplies can be delivered by a variety of means. When the destination and surrounding [[airspace]] is considered secure, the aircraft will land at an appropriate [[airport]] or [[airbase]] to have its cargo unloaded on the ground. When landing the craft, or distributing the supplies to a certain area from a landing zone by surface transportation is not an option, the cargo aircraft can drop them in mid-flight using [[parachutes]] attached to the supply containers in question. When there is a broad area available where the intended receivers have control without fear of the enemy interfering with collection and/or stealing the goods, the planes can maintain a normal flight [[altitude]] and simply drop the supplies down and let them parachute to the ground. However, when the area is too small for this method, as with an isolated base, and/or is too dangerous to land in, a [[Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System]] drop is used.
The world's first military airlift took place in July [[1936]]. Luftwaffe [[Ju 52]] were used by the Spanish Nationalists to transport troops from [[Spanish Morocco]] to [[Spain]] at the beginning of the [[Spanish Civil War]]. Airlifts became practical during [[World War II]] as aircraft became large and sophisticated enough to handle large cargo demands. The most famous example is the [[Berlin airlift]] of [[1948]]-[[1951]] which was an [[USA|American]], [[France|French]] and [[United Kingdom|British]] mission intended to thwart the blockading of the city of [[Berlin]] by the [[Soviet Union]].
==Strategic airlift==
Strategic airlift is the use of [[cargo aircraft]] to transport [[materiel]], [[weaponry]], or [[personnel]] over long distances. Typically, this involves [[airlift]]ing the required items between two airbases which are not in the same vicinity. This allows [[commander]]s 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 [[Transall C-160]], which can normally only move supplies within a given [[theater of operations]].
Examples of strategic airlifters include:
* {{flagicon|Russia}}/{{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Antonov]] [[Antonov An-124|An-124 'Ruslan']]
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[Boeing Integrated Defense Systems|Boeing]] [[C-17 Globemaster III]]
* {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Ilyushin Il-76|Ilyushin Il-76 'Candid']]
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[Lockheed Martin|Lockheed]] [[C-141 Starlifter]]
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[Lockheed Martin|Lockheed]] [[C-5 Galaxy]]
The [[United States]] has by far the greatest strategic airlift capacity of any nation in the world.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} Many countries' armed forces possess little or no strategic airlift capacity, preferring to lease from private-sector firms as needed.{{Fact|date=January 2008}} 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.
That being said, with present technology it is impossible even for the United States to shift a substantial mechanised force, particularly [[tank]]s, by air. This difficulty has prompted investment from the US military in lighter armoured fighting vehicles (such as the [[Stryker (vehicle)|Stryker]]), as well as some preliminary research into alternative airlift technologies such as [[ekranoplan]]-style planes and [[airship]]s.
==Tactical airlift==
[[Image:Chinookairlift.jpg|thumb|right|CH-47 Chinook demonstrating airlift capabilities]]
Tactical airlift is a [[military]] term for the airborne transportation of supplies and equipment ''within'' a [[theater (warfare)|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 engine|jet]]-powered), these capabilities are invaluable within war zones. Larger [[helicopter]]s 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.
Tactical airlift aircraft are designed to be maneuverable, allowing low-altitude flight to avoid detection by radar and for the [[airdrop]]ping of supplies. Most are fitted with [[defensive aids systems]] to protect them from attack by [[surface-to-air missiles]].
The earliest tactical airlift occurred in [[1929]]{{dubious}}, in which forty men of the [[Red Army]] were airlifted to the town of [[Garm]], [[Tajikistan]] (then the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic) to repel an attacking force of [[basmachi]] rebels under Fuzail Maksum.
Examples of tactical airlifters include:
* {{flagicon|European Union}} [[Airbus Military|Airbus]] [[Airbus A400M|A400M]]
* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}}/{{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Antonov]] [[Antonov An-12|An-12 'Cub']]
* {{flagicon|Soviet Union}}/{{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Antonov An-70]]
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[Boeing Integrated Defense Systems|Boeing]] [[C-17 Globemaster III]]
* {{flagicon|Spain}}/{{flagicon|Indonesia}} [[CASA CN-235]]
* {{flagicon|United States}}/{{flagicon|Italy}} [[Lockheed Martin Aeronautics|Lockheed Martin]]/[[Alenia]] [[C-27 Spartan]]
* {{flagicon|United States}} [[Lockheed Martin Aeronautics|Lockheed Martin]] [[C-130 Hercules]]
* {{flagicon|Germany}}/{{flagicon|France}} [[Transall C-160]]
Note: The Airbus Military A400M, a tactical airlifter, blurs 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, although not as high as the C-17. The table below demonstrates this status, the A-400 occupying a "middle ground" between the C-130 and the C-17.
==Performance comparison==
{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="1"
|-
!Aircraft
!Role
!align="right"| Max. payload
!Range (w/max)
!Cruise
![[service ceiling|Ceiling]]
!Price
|-
|{{flagicon|Soviet Union}}/{{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Antonov An-12|An-12]]
|Tactical
|align="right"| 44,090 [[pound (mass)|lb]] (20,000 kg)
|1,940 [[nautical mile|NM]] (3,600 km)
|align="center"|[[Mach number|Mach]] .55
|33,000 [[foot (length)|ft]]
|align="center"| —
|-
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[C-130 Hercules|C-130J]]<ref> [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/c-130j-specs.htm C-130J specifications]</ref>
|Tactical
|align="right"| 41,790 lb (18,955 kg)
|2,380 NM (4,400 km)
|align="center"|Mach .58
|33,000 ft
|align="center"| $ 70m (est.)
|-
|{{flagicon|European Union}} [[Airbus A400M|A400M]]
|Tactical/strategic
|align="right"| 81,500 lb (37,000 kg)
|1,800 NM (3,300 km)
|align="center"|Mach .72
|37,000 ft
|align="center"| € 100m (est.)
|-
|{{flagicon|Soviet Union}}/{{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Antonov An-70]]
|Tactical/strategic
|align="right"| 103,620 [[pound (mass)|lb]] (47,000 kg)
|1,621 [[nautical mile|NM]] (3,000 km)
|align="center"|[[Mach number|Mach]] .73
|40,000 [[foot (length)|ft]]
|align="center"| $ 80m (est.)
|-
|{{flagicon|Soviet Union}}/{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Ilyushin Il-76|IL-76]]MF
|Strategic/tactical
|align="right"| 132,300 lb (60,000 kg)
|2,159 NM (4,000 km)
|align="center"|Mach .70
|42,700 ft
|align="center"| $ 50m (est.)
|-
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[C-17 Globemaster III|C-17]]
|Strategic/tactical
|align="right"| 170,900 lb (77,520 kg)
|2,800 NM (5,200 km)
|align="center"|Mach .77
|45,000 ft
|align="center"| $ 202.3m
|-
|{{flagicon|United States}} [[C-5 Galaxy]]
|Strategic
|align="right"| 270,000 lb (122,472 kg)
|3,257 NM (6,033 km)
|align="center"|Mach .77
|34,000 ft
|align="center"| $ 168m
|-
|{{flagicon|Soviet Union}}/{{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Antonov An-124|An-124]]
|Strategic
|align="right"| 330,000 lb (150,000 kg)
|2,900 NM (5,400 km)
|align="center"|Mach .65
|35,000 ft
|align="center"| $ 150-200m
|-
|{{flagicon|Soviet Union}}/{{flagicon|Ukraine}} [[Antonov An-225|An-225]]
|Strategic
|align="right"| 551,000 lb (250,000 kg)
|2,159 NM (4,000 km)
|align="center"|Mach .61
|33,000 ft
|align="center"| —
|}
==See also==
*[[Airbridge (logistics)|Airbridge]]
*[[Air cargo]]
*[[Distance in military affairs]]
*[[Power projection]]
*[[Sealift]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Airborne warfare tactics|Airlift]]
[[Category:Logistics]]
[[de:Transportflugzeug]]
[[es:Puente aéreo]]
[[fr:Pont aérien]]
[[he:רכבת אווירית]]
[[it:Ponte aereo]]
[[nl:Luchtbrug]]
[[pt:Transporte aéreo táctico]]
[[sl:Taktično transportno letalo]]