Canada's massive new C-17 strategic lift aircraft may be flying their first missions to Afghanistan by the end of the month.
The aircraft can get from CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario, which will be its home base, to Afghanistan with just one refueling stop and will cruise at a speed of about 800 kilometres per hour.
The massive cargo hold can transport a battle tank, about 100 troops or can be configured to be a flying hospital.
"You can put about 170,000 pounds worth of equipment and if you look at the size of it obviously you can put a lot of light stuff or a few heavy stuff. Its capability is incredible," said Col. Mike Hood on Sunday.
While the aircraft was displayed at the Abbotsford air show on Saturday, the military allowed people to tour the aircraft at CFB Trenton on Sunday.
"It's a great day for the Air Force," said Lt.-Gen. Angus Watt, chief of the air force.
"It's a big deal. It's a big change in the way we do business. It's exciting," said Capt. Damon Murray.
The Boeing-built aircraft -- this is the first of four; the second will come in November and the final two in the spring of 2008 -- come with a big price tag and some controversy.
Prior to the C-17's arrival, Canada had to rent strategic lift aircraft to deploy troops to trouble spots.
For example, Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team was sent to help victims of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Transporting the team required booking a giant Antonov AN-225 aircraft.
The opposition Liberals have argued the rental system was working fine and that the $3.4 billion the Conservatives set aside to purchase and maintain the four C-17s should have been spent on other military priorities.
Watt defended the government's purchase.
"When you rent, you're renting from a relatively small pool of airplanes and usually when you rent it's during a crisis and everyone's trying to rent them at the same time," he said.
In Abbotsford on Saturday, O'Connor said reports that budget cuts would be required for other types of aircraft to pay for the high operating costs of the C-17 weren't true.
However, the new planes require the building of extra-large hangars at Trenton and the purchase of special-cargo handling equipment. A new fire truck will also be needed.
The plane comes at a time when O'Connor's future as defence minister is in doubt. A cabinet shuffle is looming on Tuesday, and O'Connor has repeatedly found himself in hot water.
Some senior Tories speculate that Prime Minister Stephen Harper will keep O'Connor in defence because he's delivered on some key campaign commitments, CTV's David Akin reported.
The Tories are spending $13 billion on new military hardware. Besides the C-17s, the air force will be getting medium-lift C-130Js, known as Hercules, and CH-47 Chinook battlefield transport helicopters.
With a report from CTV's David Akin and files from The Canadian Press
