The military aircraft Canada has selected as its new transport workhorse has received poor reviews from some countries now using the plane and has significant limitations in what it can do, according to a Defence Department report produced last year.

Another 2005 briefing presented to Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier also details that the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is limited in how high and fast it can fly and would require a significant change in the amount of support needed to run a transport aircraft fleet.

The records, obtained by the Citizen under the Access to Information law, outline the divisions within the Forces about the C-130J, selected last month as the winner of the $4.9-billion tactical airlift program.

Some officers are strong supporters of the aircraft and believe it is the right plane to replace the military's aging fleet of C-130 Hercules.

Others, however, have raised concerns about the aircraft. The 2005 draft study issued by the Defence Department outlined serious deficiencies with the C-130J that were identified by the U.S. government, including inadequate range and payload. "The bottom line with regards to the C130J is that although it looks like the venerable old C130, it has yet to officially achieve the same level of operational capability as its forbears," the report concludes.

It points out the C-130J has "significant operational limitations" as well as noting that informal correspondence obtained from some of the airplane's users is "almost universally negative."

The names of the militaries that provided their opinions on the C-130J have been censored from the document for reasons of national security.

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