Airlift (military)

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There are two types of airlifts in the military, strategic and tactical.

Strategic airlift

Antonov An-124 loading a container for the Dutch military

Strategic airlift is the use of cargo aircraft to transport materiel, 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.

Examples of strategic airlifters include:

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.

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.

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.

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.

Examples of tactical airlifters include:

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.

Performance comparison

Aircraft	Role	Max. payload	Range (w/max)	Cruise speed	Ceiling	Price
An-12	Tactical	44,090 lb (20,000 kg)	1,940 nm (3,600 km)	Mach .55	33,000 ft	—
C-130J[link]	Tactical	41,790 lb (18,955 kg)	2,835 nm (5,254 km)	Mach .58	33,000 ft	$ 70m (est.)
A400M	Tactical/strategic	81,500 lb (37,000 kg)	1,800 nm (3,300 km)	Mach .72	37,000 ft	$ 80m (est.)
C-17	Strategic/tactical	170,900 lb (77,520 kg)	2,400 nm (4,440 km)	Mach .77	45,000 ft	$ 178m

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