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| 437 Transport Squadron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1944–1946 1961–present |
| Country |  Canada |
| Branch |  Royal Canadian Air Force |
| Role | Transport & aerial refueling |
| Part of | 8 Wing Trenton |
| Home station | CFB Trenton |
| Nickname | Husky |
| Mottos | Omnia passim ("Anything Anywhere") |
| Battle honours |
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| Insignia | |
| Squadron Badge | Argent a husky's head affronté erased proper |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Transport | Douglas Dakota CC-106 Yukon Boeing CC-137 Airbus CC-150 Polaris Airbus CC-330 Husky |
437 Transport Squadron is a unit of theCanadian Armed Forces under theRoyal Canadian Air Force, based atCFB Trenton inOntario. The unit operates theCC-150 Polaris, theCC-330 Husky, and is responsible for long range military and VIP transportation (including for the Royal Family visiting Canada).
437 Squadron was formed atRAF Blakehill Farm inWiltshire, England in September 1944 as a unit of theRoyal Canadian Air Force, and provided general transport until it was disbanded in June 1946. During this time the squadron flewDouglas 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[2]
The squadron was reformed atCFB Trenton in 1961 and equipped withCC-106 Yukon. It was re-equipped with theBoeing CC-137 (Boeing 707) in 1970. 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.[3]
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 VIP transport and air-to-air refuelling roles. In 2022, the government of Canada announced its plans to replace theCC-150 with theAirbus CC-330 Husky, anRCAF version of theAirbus A330 MRTT, for strategic transport and air refuelling roles. In 2023, the order was increased to nineCC-330’s with the first being delivered and configured to use as the primary VIP Transport aircraft of the 427 squadron, when transporting thePrime Minister of Canada, theGovernor General of Canada, and theMonarchy of Canada.
437 Transport Squadron frequently supports government dignitaries while on official visits, including thePrime Minister of Canada andCharles III,King of Canada duringRoyal 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 theCC-150 Polaris, a modified version of theAirbus A310, along with the newly acquiredCC-330 Husky, which is a modifiedAirbus A330 MRTT. ThreeCC-150’s, and oneCC-330 are configured for personnel and material transport, while the rest are configured into theaerial refueling role.
Two CC-150 air-to-air refueling tankers were deployed to supportOperation MOBILE during the2011 military intervention in Libya. CanadianCF-188 fighter jets that enforce the no-fly zone over Libya underOperation Odyssey Dawn andOperation Unified Protector were refueled by 437 Sqn.[4]
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1Aircraft administered and serviced by the RCAF but crewed by theRoyal Canadian Artillery. 2 Non-standard code as unit using OW added L. Letters normally denoted parent Command, aircraft type (LLiberator transport, DDakota etc), unit, and individual aircraft. 3 VC .svg) XXA where VC was the civil code used by the RCAF replacing CF-, XX was the unit code and A was the aircraft ID letter4 XX nnn where XX was the unit code and nnn was the last 3 digits of the serial number. Unit code was replaced with "RCAF" in 1958 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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