437 Transport Squadron is a unit of the

Canadian Armed Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

under the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

, based at

CFB Trenton Canadian Forces Base Trenton (also CFB Trenton), formerly RCAF Station Trenton, is a Canadian Forces base located within the city of Quinte West, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is the hu ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. The unit operates the

CC-150 Polaris The Airbus CC-150 Polaris is the designation for the civilian Airbus A310-300s which have been converted into multi-purpose, long-range jet aircraft for passenger, freight or medical transport and mid-air refueling for the Royal Canadian Air ...

, and is responsible for long range military and VIP transportation (including for the Royal Family visiting Canada).

History

437 Squadron was formed at

RAF Blakehill Farm Royal Air Force Blakehill Farm or more simply RAF Blakehill Farm is a former Royal Air Force station southwest of Cricklade in Wiltshire, England, operational between 1944 and 1952. History The station was originally allocated to the United S ...

in Wiltshire, England in September 1944 as a unit of the

, and provided general transport until it was disbanded in June 1946. During this time the squadron flew Douglas Dakota (Mk.III and IV) aircraft. The Squadron saw active duty in glider towing and airdrops in the Battle of Arnhem (Operation Market Garden) and in the Crossing of the Rhine (Operation Varsity). Details, including a list of wartime personnel, can be found with this reference The squadron was reformed at

in 1961 and equipped with CC-106 Yukon. It was re-equipped with the CC-137 Husky (Boeing 707) in 1972. While operating the Husky it provided Air to Air Refueling in addition to transport services. Two aircraft out of the fleet of five were modified to serve as refueling tankers in mid 1972 to meet a requirement to support the CF-5 tactical fighter. At the end of the useful life of the B707 in 1997, 437 Squadron was equipped with Airbus A-310 aircraft which are in use still to this day in both the VVIP transport and air to air refueling rolls.

Operations

437 Transport Squadron frequently supports government dignitaries while on official visits, including the

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority the elected Hou ...

and

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

, King of Canada during Royal tours of Canada. In June and July 2011 the squadron provided transportation for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they toured Canada and the United States. The squadron currently operates the

, a modified version of the Airbus A310. Three are configured for personnel and material transport, while two were reconfigured into the

aerial refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...

role. Two CC-150 air-to-air refueling tankers were deployed to support

Operation MOBILE Operation Mobile (french: Opération Mobile) was the name given to Canadian Forces activities in the 2011 military intervention in Libya. The United States' counterpart to this was Operation Odyssey Dawn, the French counterpart was Opération Ha ...

during the

2011 military intervention in Libya On 19 March 2011, a multi-state NATO-led coalition began a military intervention in Libya, to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, in response to events during the First Libyan Civil War. With ten votes in favour and five ...

. Canadian CF-188 fighter jets that enforce the no-fly zone over Libya under

Operation Odyssey Dawn Operation Odyssey Dawn was the U.S. code name for the American role in the international military operation in Libya to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 during the initial period of 19–31 March 2011, which continued aft ...

and Operation Unified Protector were refueled by 437 Sqn."Update on CF Operations in Libya"
Canadian Forces website, 22 March 2011

References

External links

{{RCAF Squadrons Royal Canadian Air Force squadrons Canadian Forces aircraft squadrons Air transport of heads of state Air force transport units and formations