Airbus CC - 150 Polaris The Airbus CC - 150 Polaris is the designation for the civilian Airbus A310 - 300s which have been converted for use as the primary long distance transport aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force . Design and development . The CC - 150 replaced the Boeing CC - 137 ( converted Boeing 707 ) in 1997 . The five Airbus aircraft were originally purchased by Wardair and were transferred to Canadian Airlines when the two airlines merged in 1989 . They were subsequently purchased by the Canadian Forces from Canadian Airlines . The purchase included a support contract for service of the aircraft for a fixed number of flying hours . Air Canada acquired the CC - 150 service contract when it purchased Canadian Airlines in 2000 , and through a series of subsequent corporate restructurings , spawned the CC - 150 service contract to Air Canada Technical Services ( ACTS ) , and then Aveos Fleet Performance . Following the collapse of Aveos Fleet Performance in March , 2012 , the Government of Canada awarded a one year interim contract to L3 Communications to support the fleet of CC - 150 aircraft until Canada can award a longer term aircraft maintenance contract through a competitive procurement process . Tanker Conversion . Two of the five CC - 150s have been converted to air - to - air refueling tankers for the CF - 18 fleet as CC - 150Ts . This was a capability that was lost when the CC - 137s were retired . The conversion is part of the Multi Role Tanker Transport ( MRTT ) program . The MRTT program was initiated because of a German Air Force ( Luftwaffe ) requirement and provided a cost effective solution for the CF . The RCAF uses converted C - 130 s , RCAF designation CC - 130H ( T ) , for tactical air to air refueling but is limited when deploying CF - 18s overseas which is better suited by a Strategic AAR Platform . As a result of the CC - 150s MRTT conversion , Canada has regained its own Strategic air - to - air refuelling capability . The first converted CC - 150T completed its acceptance trials in May 2008 . Operational history . Four of the five aircraft were converted to the " Combi " - Freighter standard with a reinforced floor and side opening cargo door . The fifth was modified as a VIP transport aircraft for government executive transport . The Polaris is classified as a strategic airlifter by the Royal Canadian Air Force . The CC - 150 is able to carry cargo and personnel over long distances , but it lacks the oversize cargo capacity and ability to operate from austere locations which are a common requirement of military airlift . The Canadian Forces rely on other heavy lift cargo aircraft ( such as the C - 17 Globemaster ) for these kinds of operations . The five CC - 150s are operated by 437 Squadron at CFB Trenton , Ontario . In 2011 , two CC - 150T air - to - air refueling tankers were deployed to support Canadian CF - 18 fighter jets enforcing the no - fly zone over Libya under Operation Mobile and Operation Unified Protector . In 2013 , the CC - 150 used for VIP transport was repainted from gun - metal scheme to a more - colourful one based on RCAF colours during scheduled maintenance , at an additional cost of $ 50 , 000 .