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A large military cargo aircraft: the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy

The Airbus A400M, the future transport/tanker aircraft of many European countries

Antonov An-124 loading a container for the Dutch military

An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via aircraft.

Airlifting consists of two distinct types, strategic and tactical airlifting. 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 airspace is considered secure, the aircraft will land at an appropriate airport or 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 collection and/or stealing the goods, the planes can maintain a normal flight altitude and simply drop 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.

History[link]

1979 film by the US Department of Defense about important historical airlifts

In April 1923 aircraft of the RAF's Iraq Command flew 280 Sikh troops from 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 diplomatic staff from Afghanistan to India during the Kabul Airlift.

The world's first long-range combat airlift took place in July 1936.^[1] Luftwaffe Ju 52 and Italian Air Force Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 were used by the Spanish Nationalists to transport troops from Spanish Morocco to Spain 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 USAAF 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 China over the Hump by November 1945. That operation by the Air Transport Command presaged the even larger Berlin airlift, lasting from June 1948 to September 1949, an American, British and French operation intended to thwart the blockading of the city of Berlin by the Soviet Union. The largest civilian airlift ever was carried out by protestant and catholic churches working together under the banner "Joint Church Aid"(JCA) to carry food to Biafra, during the Biafran secession war from Nigeria in 1967-70. This joint effort (which those involved used to call "Jesus Christ Airlines" as an inside joke from the initials JCA) is estimated to have saved more then a million lives in Biafra. All airplanes departed from the (by then) Portuguese colony of St. Tome and Principe and used to fly by night, all lights off and avoiding Nigerian Migs to the bush landing strip of Uli, made by enlarging a common road, the only operational "airport" in Biafra. All the airplanes, crews and logistics were paid, set up and maintained by the joint churches. Joint Churches and their crews and aircraft (mostly aging multiprop airliners like DC-7's, Lockheed Constellation and Superconstellations, DC-6's, even some DC3) kept flying into Biafra at the cost of many crews lives.^{[2][verification needed]}

Strategic airlift[link]

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

ERC Sagaie loading into a Transall C-160.

Strategic airlift is the use of cargo aircraft to transport materiel, weaponry, or personnel over long distances. Typically, this involves airlifting the required items between two airbases which are not in the same vicinity. This allows commanders to bring items into a combat theater from a point on the other side of the planet, if necessary. Aircraft which perform this role are considered strategic airlifters. This contrasts with tactical airlifters, such as the C-130 Hercules and Transall C-160, which can normally only move supplies within a given theater of operations.

Examples of strategic airlifters include:

• Antonov An-124 'Ruslan'
• Antonov An-225 'Mriya'
• Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
• Ilyushin Il-76 'Candid'
• Lockheed C-141 Starlifter
• Lockheed C-5 Galaxy

The United States has by far the greatest strategic airlift capacity of any nation in the world. Many countries' armed forces possess little or no strategic airlift capacity, preferring to lease from private-sector firms as needed. Alternatively, groups of nations - especially within formal alliances such as NATO - may choose to pool their strategic airlift resources rather than individually duplicating the substantial investment required to purchase and maintain such costly and, in many cases, seldom-used assets.

That being said, with present technology it is impossible even for the United States to shift a substantial mechanised force, particularly tanks, by air. This difficulty has prompted investment from the US military in lighter armoured fighting vehicles (such as the Stryker), as well as some preliminary research into alternative airlift technologies such as ekranoplan-style planes and airships.

Tactical airlift[link]

CH-47 Chinook demonstrating airlift capabilities

Tactical airlift is a military term for the airborne transportation of supplies and equipment within a theatre of operations (in contrast to strategic airlift). Aircraft which perform this role are referred to as tactical airlifters. These are typically turboprop aircraft, and feature short landing and take-off distances and low-pressure tyres allowing operations from small or poorly-prepared airstrips. While they lack the speed and range of strategic airlifters (which are typically jet-powered), these capabilities are invaluable within war zones. Larger helicopters such as the CH-47 Chinook and Mil Mi-26 can also be used to airlift men 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 highly inefficient.

Tactical airlift aircraft are designed to be maneuverable, allowing 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^{[citation needed]}, in which forty men of the Red Army were airlifted to the town of Garm, Tajikistan (then the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic) to repel an attacking force of Basmachi rebels under Fuzail Maksum.

Examples of tactical airlifters include:

• Airbus A400M (Under Development.)
• / Antonov An-12 'Cub'
• / Antonov An-70
• Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
• / CASA CN-235
• EADS CASA C-295
• / Lockheed Martin/Alenia C-27 Spartan
• Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules
• / Transall C-160
• Shorts Belfast (retired)
• Kawasaki C-X (Under Development.)
• Shaanxi Y-9 (Under Development.)
• Embraer KC-390 (Under Development.)
• / Indo-Russian Transport Aircraft (Under Development.)
• Lockheed C-141 Starlifter

Note: The Airbus Military A400M, a tactical airlifter, blurs the line between tactical and strategic transports. Airbus stresses its tactical performance but also its strategic capabilities; higher payload, higher range and higher speed than the Hercules, although not as high as the C-17. The table below demonstrates this status, the A-400 occupying a "middle ground" between the C-130 and the C-17.

Performance comparison[link]

Aircraft	Role	Max. payload	Range (w/max)	Cruise	Ceiling	Price
Embraer KC-390	Tactical	52,029 lb (23,600 kg)	2,924 NM (5,417 km)	Mach .70	36,000 ft	$ 50m (est.)
/ An-12	Tactical	44,090 lb (20,000 kg)	1,940 NM (3,600 km)	Mach .55	33,000 ft	—
C-130J[3]	Tactical	41,790 lb (18,955 kg)	2,380 NM (4,400 km)	Mach .58	33,000 ft	$ 52m (est.)
Airbus A400M	Tactical/strategic	81,500 lb (37,000 kg)	2,450 NM (4,540 km)	Mach .72	37,000 ft	€ 100m (est.)
Kawasaki C-2	Tactical	82,800 lb (37,600 kg)	3,000 NM (5,600 km)	Mach .80	40,000 ft	$ 120m (est.)
/ Antonov An-70	Tactical/strategic	103,620 lb (47,000 kg)	1,621 NM (3,000 km)	Mach .73	40,000 ft	$ 80m (est.)
/ IL-76MF	Strategic/tactical	132,300 lb (60,000 kg)	2,159 NM (4,000 km)	Mach .70	42,700 ft	$ 50m (est.)
C-17	Strategic/tactical	170,900 lb (77,520 kg)	2,800 NM (5,200 km)	Mach .77	45,000 ft	$ 225m
C-5 Galaxy	Strategic	270,000 lb (122,472 kg)	2,400 NM (4,440 km)	Mach .77	34,000 ft	$ 168m
// An-124	Strategic	330,000 lb (150,000 kg)	2,900 NM (5,400 km)	Mach .65	35,000 ft	$ 70-100m
/ An-225	Strategic	551,000 lb (250,000 kg)	2,159 NM (4,000 km)	Mach .61	33,000 ft	—

See also[link]

• Airbridge
• Airdrop
• Air cargo
• Berlin airlift
• Loss of Strength Gradient
• Power projection
• Sealift
• Hub-spoke distribution

References[link]

External links[link]

• The short film AIRLIFT ... WORKING FOR HUMANITY (1979) is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since April 2011. It may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Tagged since May 2011. It may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling. Tagged since May 2011.

Thomas Lang
Thomas Lang in concert, October 15, 2005
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Lang
Born	(1967-08-05) August 5, 1967 (age 44)
Origin	Vienna, Austria
Genres	Instrumental rock, pop, jazz, progressive rock, heavy metal, avant-garde metal
Occupations	Musician, producer
Instruments	Drums, bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals
Years active	1985–present
Associated acts	stOrk, John Wetton, Vienna Art Orchestra, Falco, Robert Fripp, Glenn Hughes, Robbie Williams, Steve Hackett, Nina Hagen, Terabite, Schwarzenator

 Thomas Lang (help·info) (born August 5, 1967, Vienna) is an Austrian drummer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer. He is the founding member of the Los Angeles-based progressive/avant garde metal trio, stOrk.

Lang took up drumming at the age of 5. In addition to lessons at local music schools and years of private tuition, he was classically trained at the Vienna Conservatory of Music. After leaving the conservatory in 1985, Lang began working professionally, working his way through the European pop, rock and jazz scenes. Throughout his career as a session musician he has played for various artists such as John Wetton, Robert Fripp, Glenn Hughes, Peter Gabriel, Asia, Nik Kershaw, Tina Turner, Robbie Williams, Kelly Clarkson, Sugababes, Geri Halliwell, Emma Bunton, Victoria Beckham, Ronan Keating, Steve Hackett, 911, Boyzone, Falco, Nina Hagen, Steve Jones, Mick Jones, The Commodores, George Michael, Doogie White, B*Witched, Gianna Nannini, Lighthouse Family, Westlife, Kylie Minogue, The Blockheads, Sertab Erener, Vienna Art Orchestra, Bonnie Tyler, and Nadine Beiler, among others. In 1995 Lang released his debut solo release, Mediator, which topped the charts in Europe and garnered positive reviews.^[1]

Instructional material[link]

Lang has released the DVD Creative Control, teaching advanced drumming techniques. In 2005 he headlined the UK Drumfest held in Birmingham alongside Kenny Aronoff and Jimmy Chamberlin.

Lang’s original practice regime eventually became the basis for his 2-part series of instructional videos, “Ultimatives Schlagzeug I & II” which were originally released in 1995. The videos were re-released on DVD in 2004 by Hudson Music. In 2003 Lang released the instructional DVD and book “Creative Control”.

In 2009, Lang launched The Thomas Lang Drumming Boot Camp a multi-day touring, educational drumming experience that has been hosted in various locations around the world including London, Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, Austria and Finland among others.

His follow-up DVD and book, "Creative Coordination & Advanced Foot Technique" was released in November 2006. Lang maintains a website to offer his books and DVDs. In 2010, he auditioned for Dream Theater, as revealed by a recent documentary trailer released by the band, but did not win the audition; the eventual winner revealed to be Mike Mangini.

In 2010 Lang began hosting the Thomas Lang Drumming Boot Camp, a touring educational drum camp that has been hosted around the world in various locations including Los Angeles, London, New York, Berlin and Austria among other locations.

In December 2011, Lang began offering online lessons at the Artistworks Drum Academy.

Equipment[link]

Lang is a 10-year endorser of Meinl cymbals. He has designed a number of cymbals with Meinl: the 16" Synthetik Crash, 17" Kompressor Crash, 18" Kinetik Crash, 18" Signal Crash/Klub Ride, and Filter Chinas. Lang stated on Creative Control that when he designed his cymbals, he wanted to recreate electronic cymbal sounds in acoustic cymbals.^{[citation needed]} One of Lang's goals was to create a pitch-matched range of contemporary crash cymbals that provide acoustic and electronic drummers with modern sounds that resemble artificially engineered cymbal samples - “Tom’s Becken” launched in 2002. In 2004 Thomas Lang worked with Meinl again to design the “Fast Hats”, and a series of “Filter Chinas”.

In 2002, the Remo Corporation approached Thomas to produce the “Thomas Lang Practice Kit".

Other Thomas Lang products are Vic Firth’s “Thomas Lang signature model” stick and the “Thomas Lang signature Bigfoot bassdrum beaters” .

After endorsing Sonor Drums for 20 years, in 2010 he signed with Drum Workshop (DW) drums.

Awards[link]

• 1999, 2001: Best studio drummer (Rhythm magazine)
• 2002: Best pop drummer, Best all-around drummer (Rhythm magazine)
• 2002: Best drummer (Drums and Percussion magazine)
• 2003: Best clinician (Modern Drummer magazine)
• 2004: Best DVD, Best clinician runner up, Best drummer runner-up (Modern Drummer magazine); Best DVD, Best new signature product, Best drummer (Drummer magazine); Best studio drummer (Rhythm magazine); Best recorded drum performance (Sticks magazine)
• 2005: Best pop drummer, Best Clinician, Best Solo Drum performance (Rhythm magazine); Best DVD, Best all around drummer, Best drum event (Drummer magazine)
• 2006: Best drum clinician (DRUM! Magazine), Best drumming video/DVD (Drum! Magazine); Best DVD, Best drummer (Rhythm magazine)
• 2007: Best DVD, Best drummer (Rhythm magazine); Best DVD, Best drummer, Best Clinician (Modern Drummer magazine)
• Aurora Gold Award 2007 for Best Video Production
• 2008: Best Clinician (Modern Drummer Magazine); Best Clinician (DRUM! Magazine)

Selected discography[link]

• Thomas Lang - Mediator (1995)
• John Wetton - Live at the Progfest L.A. (1997)
• Thomas Lang - Creative Control (2003)
• Thomas Lang - Creative Coordination (2006)
• Thomas Lang - Something Along Those Lines (2007)
• B*Witched - Jump Up, Jump Down (Live)
• Willi Langer - Colours of the Octopus
• Willi Langer - Signs of Life
• Billy Liesegang - No Strings Attached
• Vienna Art Orchestra - Songs and other Adventures
• Vienna Art Orchestra - Art and Fun
• John Wetton - Arkangel
• John Wetton - Live in Tokyo
• John Wetton - Live in Argentina
• StOrk - StOrk (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Thomas Lang on Drummerworld
• Thomas Lang on MySpace
• Thomas Lang Drumming Boot Camp
• Thomas Lang School of Drums
• Thomas Lang's Big Drum Bonanza