The Boeing CC-137 is a retired transport and tanker aircraft which served with the

Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...

from 1970 to 1997. The Boeing 707-347C aircraft provided long range passenger transport for the military, VIP transport for government and

air-to-air refueling Aerial refueling ( en-us), or aerial refuelling ( en-gb), 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 an ...

for fighters such as the CF-116 Freedom Fighter 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 in the transport role and much later in the tanker role.

Design and development

During the 1960s, the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) 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 environmental commands within the unified Can ...

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 tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gav ...

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

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 ...

as an executive or short-range transport.Bowers 1989, p. 454. The first four aircraft had been built for

Western Airlines Western Airlines was a major airline in the United States based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mex ...

, 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 Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and Military aircraft, military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacture ...

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 retired United States Air Force (USAF) airborne ground surveillance, battle management and command and control aircraft. It tracked ground vehicles and ...

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

Operators

; *

Canadian Forces Air Command The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air force, 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 environmental commands within the un ...

** No. 437 "Husky" Squadron RCAF 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 hub ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

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 Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear