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The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Canadian NORAD Region (CANR) achieved initial operating capability for their fleet of CC-150 Polaris air-to-air refuelling tankers, operated by 437 Transport Squadron from Trenton, Ont., on July 1, 2020.
This milestone, otherwise known as “IOC”, validates the fleet’s ability to support not only its enduring strategic airlift and air-to-air refuelling role for other domestic and overseas operations, but also the same capability for NORAD, which includes northern and Arctic operations.
Notable missions the fleet will now support are similar to what NORAD conducts in response to Russian incursions into the Canadian and United States identification zones in the Arctic, such as the missions carried out on June 16, 24 and 27, 2020.
Until the point of this milestone, the RCAF primarily relied on its aging fleet of CC-130H/T Hercules air-to-air refuelling and transport aircraft to fill this role; but those aircraft are now being phased out of service, as their primary search-and-rescue (SAR) role is soon to be taken over by the Government of Canada’s purchase of the new CC-295 fixed wing SAR platform.
“The CC-150 Tanker is a great platform for the CANR mission. It’s fast, reliable and extremely flexible in its ability to help us achieve our mission set,” said BGen Ed “Hertz” Vaughan, deputy commander, Canadian NORAD Region.”When NORAD tasks our region to deploy CF-188 fighters to the north, the Polaris tanker is now ready to be a part of the mix, to help defend our approaches and keep us all safe.”
This IOC milestone was validated during a real-world CANR deployment to Yellowknife and Inuvik, N.W.T., during the weekend of June 13. The aircraft flew north to meet up with CF-188 fighters over the Beaufort Sea, where it provided air-to-air refuelling support.
The Polaris tanker aircraft is a similar version to the CC-150 Polaris aircraft which are configured to carry passengers, not unlike a typical airliner. The difference with the tanker version is fewer seats, and the ability to carry more fuel and cargo.
I can’t tell from the word smithing, is this spin that we bought a new plane, or we thru a fuel bladder in the PMO’s damaged airbus? With him moving into the new 650 challengers?
Did they buy a new bird or take the hanger rash one from the PMO’s department?
Neither. They are using the same two Airbus aircraft that have served as tankers for many years. It’s just that these aircraft will now have the additional responsibility for conducting the mid-air refuleling currently conducted by the soon-to-be-retired CC130-Hs.