The Boeing CC-137 was a transport and tanker aircraft which served with the Canadian Forces from 1970 to 1997. The

Boeing 707-347C The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and ...

aircraft provided long range passenger transport for the military, VIP transport for government and air-to-air refueling for fighters such as the

CF-116 Freedom Fighter The Canadair CF-5 (officially designated the CF-116 Freedom Fighter) is the Canadair licensed-built version of the American Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter aircraft primarily for the Canadian Forces (as the CF-5) and the Royal Netherlands Air Forc ...

and

CF-18 Hornet The McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (official military designation CF-188) is a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) variant of the American McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft. In 1980, the F/A-18 was selected as the winner of the New ...

. It was replaced by the Airbus

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 ...

in the transport role and much later in the tanker role.

Design and development

During the 1960s, the Royal Canadian Air Force set out a requirement to replace the aging fleet of Canadair CC-106 Yukons and Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan transports. Initially, the

Boeing KC-135 The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transport ...

was being considered because the versatile design could also fulfill a yet-unspecified aerial refuelling role. Although a "purpose-built" aircraft would have suited the RCAF requirements better, an opportunity to acquire Boeing 707s as an alternative, soon presented itself.

Operational history

Boeing CC-137-KC (707-347C), Canada - Air Force AN2275931

Canada purchased five Boeing 707s in 1970–71 to replace the RCAF's CC-106 Yukons in the long range transport role and the

CC-109 Cosmopolitan The Canadair CL-66 was a turboprop version of the civilian Convair CV-440 Metropolitan. The CC-109 Cosmopolitan or "Cosmo" in RCAF service became the standard VIP aircraft as well as replacing the Douglas Dakota and the North American B-25 Mitc ...

as an executive or short-range transport.Bowers 1989, p. 454. The first four aircraft had been built for Western Airlines, but that order was subsequently cancelled; the fifth was bought separately a year later. To fulfil Canada's requirements for aerial refueling, two aircraft were fitted with Beechcraft made probe and drogue refueling pods in 1972.Canada's Air Force, Aircraft, Historical Aircraft, Boeing 707 (CC-137)
Canadian Department of National Defence. Retrieved: 1 March 2008. The two sets of refuelling equipment were moved from aircraft to aircraft to keep fleet utilization even between the airframes. The CC-137 fleet had a combined total of 191,154 hours, remaining in service in the transport role until 1995, with two aircraft continuing in use as tankers until 1997. Most of the fleet ended up with the

Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS The Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) is a United States Air Force airborne ground surveillance, battle management and command and control aircraft. It tracks ground vehicles and some aircraft, col ...

programme either for spare parts or conversion to E-8C standard for the United States Air Force.

Operators

; * Canadian Forces Air Command ** No. 437 "Husky" Squadron RCAF based at CFB Trenton, Ontario

Specifications (CC-137)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Bowers, Peter M. ''Boeing Aircraft since 1916''. London: Putnam, 1989. . * Stachiw, Anthony L. ''Boeing CC137 (707-347C)''. St. Catharine's, Ontario, Canada: Vanwell Publishing Ltd., 2004. .

External links

Canadian Forces Historical Aircraft – Boeing 707 (CC-137)

Boeing CC-137 B707-320 at rcaf.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boeing Cc-137 CC-137 1970s United States military transport aircraft Quadjets Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1970