Airlift

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Strategic airlift
)
Not to be confused with Aerial lift.
For other uses, see Airlift (disambiguation).
People boarding a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, a large military cargo aircraft

An airlift is the organized delivery of

personnel primarily via military transport aircraft
.

Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distances (such as across or off the continent or theater), whereas a tactical airlift focuses on deploying resources and material 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

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 the collection and/or stealing the goods, the planes can maintain a normal flight altitude and simply airdrop 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.

During disasters and other crises, airlifts are used to support or replace other transport methods to relieve beleaguered

Berlin Airlift, to supply isolated West Berlin with food and coal, the 1990 Air India airlift to rescue Indian citizens caught up in the Gulf War, and the 1967–70 Biafran airlift during the Nigerian Civil War
.

History

The Douglas C-47 Skytrain was used extensively during the Berlin airlift.

In November 1915 the

medevac operation in air history.[1][2]

In April 1923 aircraft of the

Kingarban to Kirkuk in the first British air trooping operation. This operation was only conducted over a short-range and it was not until 1929 that the RAF conducted a long-range non-combat air evacuation of British Embassy staff from Afghanistan to India using a Vickers Victoria during the Kabul airlift
.

The world's

Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 were used by the Spanish Nationalist Air Force to transport Army of Africa troops from Spanish Morocco to the Spanish mainland 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 Germans used an airlift in successful relief of the Demyansk Pocket, albeit with the Luftwaffe suffering considerable losses to its fleet of transport planes. Due to the apparent vindication of the airlift tactic, Chief of the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe Hermann Göring assured Adolf Hitler that the Luftwaffe could conduct an airlift on a larger scale, which was the key factor not to let the Sixth Army withdraw from Stalingrad after its encirclement by the Red Army. However the Luftwaffe was strained at this point while facing better prepared Soviet air forces at Stalingrad, so they were unable to delivery the necessary supplies before the airfields were overrun. In spite of the airlift's obvious shortcomings, Hitler refused permission for the Sixth Army to attempt a breakout, eventually leading its commander Friedrich Paulus to surrender.[4]

The U.S. Army Air Force's Air Transport Command began the largest and longest-sustained airlift of the war in May 1942, delivering more than half a million net tons of materiel from India to Free China over the Hump by November 1945. After many USAAF airmen were shot down in Nazi-occupied Serbia during Operation Tidal Wave, the U.S. Fifteenth Air Force and the Office of Strategic Services evacuated a number of them in Operation Halyard with the assistance of Draža Mihailović's Chetnik partisans.[5] Additionally, at the end of World War II the USAAF and the RAF arranged humanitarian airdrops to the Nazi-occupied Netherlands through Operations Manna and Chowhound to alleviate the Dutch famine of 1944-45.[6]

The largest airlift was the

beginning of the Cold War and the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Western European Union, and the Federal Republic of Germany.[10][11]

The

Sudan through Operation Moses, Operation Joshua, and Operation Solomon during the Ethiopian famine and civil war.[14][15][16]

During the

Battle of Điện Biên Phủ.[17] However, based on the lessons learned from Nà Sản, the Viet Minh improved their preparations at Điện Biên Phủ including concealed artillery and massed anti-aircraft batteries, making it dangerous for the French aircraft to use the runways, afterwards a bombardment forced the French to abandon use of the airstrip altogether and rely upon parachute drops. The besieged French forces eventually surrendered.[18]

The largest civilian airlift ever, the

Uli, the only operational "airport" in Biafra, which was made by enlarging a common road. Flights were made flying at night with all lights off and under near-total radio silence to avoid Nigerian Air Force MiG aircraft. All the airplanes, crews, and logistics were paid, set up, and maintained by the joint church groups. JCA and their crews and aircraft (mostly aging multi prop airliners like DC-7's, Lockheed Constellation and Superconstellations, DC-6's, and DC3's) kept flying into Biafra at the cost of many crews lives.[19][verification needed
]

During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the U.S. Air Force Military Airlift Command conducted Operation Nickel Grass to resupply Israel in the face of a coordinated surprise attack by Egypt and Syria.[20] The airlift allowed Israel to begin a counteroffensive against the Arab states but caused the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to place an oil embargo on the United States, beginning the 1970s energy crisis.[21]

During the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus the Hellenic Air Force attempted to airlift commandos to Nicosia Airport through Operation Niki but failed after the Nord Noratlas planes were shot down by friendly fire from the Cypriot National Guard after flying over RAF Akrotiri.[22][23]

The largest civilian airlift in history was conducted by

evacuated Pakistani nationals from Yemen via an airlift during the Saudi intervention.[29] The Indian Armed Forces also conducted an airlift to Nepal after the 2015 Nepal earthquake through Operation Maitri.[30]

During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, numerous air forces and civilian airlines arranged evacuation flights from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport.[31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]

The highest rate of civilian airlift in history (number of civilians evacuated per day) was during fall of Kabul in August 2021, where 778 flights evacuated 124,334 people over 17 days - 7,300 civilians per day (compared to 2,700 per day airlift of Indians from Kuwait in 1990).

Operation AEGIS, and the Indian Armed Forces' Operation Devi Shakti
.

Strategic airlift

Strategic airlift is the use of

theater of operations
.

The Airbus A400M Atlas performs tactical as well as strategic airlift.

Examples of late current large strategic airlifters include:

However it is prohibitively expensive and impractical to shift a substantial mechanised force such as

ground effect vehicles and airships. Civilian aircraft are also commonly used for transportation. For some civilian airlines, such as Volga-Dnepr Airlines
, military contracts account for a large portion of their income.

Tactical airlift

Tactical airlift is a

CH-47 Chinook and Mil Mi-26, can also be used to airlift personnel 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 but are fuel inefficient and thus typically have limited range. Hybrid aircraft such as the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey also exist which attempt to combine VTOL
flight with greater range and speed.

Tactical airlift aircraft are designed to be maneuverable, allowing the 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.

The earliest Soviet tactical airlift occurred in 1929, in which forty men of the

Garm, Tajikistan (then the Tajik Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic) to repel an attacking force of Basmachi rebels under Fuzail Maksum.[46]

Examples of late current large tactical airlifters include:

Airlifter comparison

Recent platforms

Aircraft[47][48][49][50] Role Max. payload (Kg) Range (NM) Cruise(Mach)
Ceiling
(Ft.) 		Price
Antonov An-72[51] Tactical 10,000 1,728 NM Mach .68 36,089 Ft $12.5m (est.)
C-130J Super Hercules[52] Tactical 19,050 2,380 NM Mach .58 33,000 Ft $ 52m (est.)
Antonov An-12 Tactical 20,000 1,940 NM Mach .55 33,000 Ft —
Shaanxi Y-8 Tactical 20,000 3,030 NM Mach .45 34,000 Ft —
Embraer KC-390
 Tactical 26,000 3,140 NM Mach .70 36,000 Ft $ 50m (est.)
Shaanxi Y-9 Tactical 25,000 3,700 NM Mach .53 34,120 Ft —
Airbus A400M Atlas Strategic/tactical 37,000 2,450 NM Mach .72 37,000 Ft € 100m (est.)
Airbus C295
 Tactical 9,250 2,100 NM Mach .35 30,000 Ft -
Kawasaki C-2 Strategic/tactical 37,600 3,000 NM Mach .80 40,000 Ft $ 120m (est.)
Antonov An-70 Tactical 47,000 1,621 NM Mach .73 40,000 Ft $ 80m (est.)
Ilyushin Il-76 Strategic/tactical 60,000 2,700 NM Mach .70 42,700 Ft $ 120m (est.)
Xian Y-20
 Strategic 66,000 2,430 NM Mach .75 42,700 Ft —
C-17 Globemaster III Strategic/tactical 77,520 2,380 NM Mach .77 45,000 Ft $ 225m
C-5 Galaxy
 Strategic 122,472 2,400 NM Mach .77 34,000 Ft $ 168m
Antonov An-124
 Strategic 150,000 2,808 NM Mach .65 35,000 Ft $70–100m
Antonov An-225
 Strategic 250,000 2,159 NM Mach .61 33,000 Ft —

See also

References and notes

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  2. ^ "Veliki rat – Avijacija". Radio Television of Serbia (in Serbian). 8 February 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2017.
  3. ^ Per photograph caption pg.146 and also text pg.201, Air Power, Budiansky, Stephen, Penguin Group, London England 2005
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  5. ^ "The greatest rescue you've never heard of". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  6. ^ "Operation Manna-Chowhound: Deliverance from Above". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. 6 May 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
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  10. ^ Archives, The National. "Berlin Blockade and formation of NATO". www.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  11. ^ "The Berlin Blockade". NATO. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  12. ^ "On wings of eagles: Operation to bring Yemenite Jews to Israel". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  13. ^ "Operation Ezra & Nehemia - The Airlift of Iraqi Jews". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  14. ^ "Operation Moses". www.historyofwar.org. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  15. ^ "1984-1991 Airlift of Ethiopian Jewish community |". 2017-05-10. Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  16. ^ "Operation Solomon". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  17. ^ Kennedy, Bruce. "1954 battle changed Vietnam's history". CNN. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008.
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  20. ^ "Nickel Grass". 2012-03-31. Archived from the original on 2012-03-31. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  21. ^ Wambold, Adam (2014-10-08). "Operation Nickel Grass: Turning Point of the Yom Kippur War »". Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  22. ^ "Military Histories - July 21st to 22nd 1974". www.militaryhistories.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  23. ^ Nicosia, Associated Press in (2015-08-06). "Cypriot officials say they may have found Greek aircraft shot down in 1974". the Guardian. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  24. JSTOR 45341807
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  25. ^ Venkataramakrishnan, Rohan (2 July 2014). "The Berlin airlift was remarkable, but the largest civilian evacuation in history is by India". Scroll.in. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  26. ^ "Khaleej Times Online - Return of evacuees brings joy to families". 2007-09-30. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  27. ^ "India unveils Operation Safe Homecoming, thousands on way". Sify. 2011-03-02. Archived from the original on 2011-03-02. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  28. ^ "India evacuates 4,640 nationals, 960 others from Yemen". oneindia.com. 2015-04-09. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  29. ^ Haider, Irfan (2015-03-27). "Nawaz orders evacuation of Pakistanis stranded in Yemen". dawn.com. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  30. ^ "Nepal quake: India launches 'Operation Maitri', airlifts 546 from Kathmandu". 2015-04-26. Archived from the original on 2015-04-26. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  31. ^ "Coronavirus: Second plane carrying 323 Indians from Wuhan to reach Delhi today". India Today. February 1, 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  32. ^ Jiang, Steven; Stracqualursi, Veronica (25 January 2020). "US chartering flight to evacuate American diplomats and citizens out of China amid coronavirus outbreak". CNN. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  33. ^ Goldstein, Michael. "US State Department Brings Home Over 85,000 Americans In Coronavirus Crisis". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  34. ^ Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy. "Coronavirus: India brings back 36 foreigners and 76 nationals from Wuhan". The Economic Times. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  35. ^ "Эвакуация украинцев из Уханя: куда прилетит самолет, как обустроят карантин и кто протестует?". gordonua.com. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  36. ^ "Finns arrive in France after repatriation from Wuhan". Yle Uutiset. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  37. ^ "Canadian government worker, flight crew released from coronavirus quarantine - National | Globalnews.ca". 2020-02-10. Archived from the original on 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  38. ^ "Coronavirus evacuation flight from Wuhan lands in Darwin - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". ABC News. 2020-02-09. Archived from the original on 2020-02-09. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  39. ^ "Air Force colonel recalls the last flights out of Kabul in one of the largest evacuations in history". Fox News. 2 September 2022.
  40. ^ Chughtai, Alia. "Infographic: Tracking the flights out of Kabul". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  41. ^ Saric, Ivana (26 August 2021). "U.S. allies scramble to leave Afghanistan". Axios. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
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  44. ^ Gaouette, Nicole; Hansler, Jennifer; Starr, Barbara; Liebermann, Oren (30 August 2021). "The last US military planes have left Afghanistan, marking the end of the United States' longest war". CNN. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  45. ^ "Ukraine detains officials over destruction of famous plane at start of war". Reuters. 10 March 2023.
  46. ^ Tucker, Spencer, 2013. Encyclopedia of Insurgency and Counterinsurgency: A New Era of Modern Warfare: A New Era of Modern Warfare. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. https://www.abc-clio.com/ABC-CLIOCorporate/product.aspx?pc=A3973C
  47. ^ Comparison of military transport aircraft
  48. ^ "Caro capacity of military transport aircraft". Archived from the original on 2018-08-11. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  49. ^ Lockheed C-5 data Archived May 16, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
  50. ^ "Shaanxi Y-9 (Yun-9)".
  51. ^ "An-72 COALER (ANTONOV)".
  52. ^ Pike, John. "C-130J Specifications and Performance". www.globalsecurity.org.

External links

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