Two Lockheed Martin C-130s will deploy to Iraq in October to pose as surrogate platforms for a bitter rival in the airlifter market - the L-3 Communications/Alenia Aeronautica C-27J.
The Ohio National Guard C-130s will provide the first test of the proposed "direct support" mission in Iraq, assigning for the first time the two USAF airlifters to a US Army brigade commander, rather than having them scheduled through a centrally planned transportation network, says Gen Arthur Lichte, chief of Air Mobility Command.
The mission allows a brigade commander to move small amounts of cargo at will, a task currently performed by the army's smaller Shorts C-23B Sherpas. It was this concept that drove the army to launch the Future Cargo Aircraft programme in 2004. The goal was to replace the army's 44 C-23Bs, and also expand the fleet to 78 aircraft.
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© L-3 Communications Integrated Systems |
The C-27J is expected to deliver 'direct support' to US Army units |
After the USAF joined the programme in 2005, the name changed to the Joint Cargo Aircraft programme. The selection of the C-27J in June 2007 quickly led to a new dispute with USAF officials over whether the C-130J could be more effective. The Department of Defense slashed the planned order from 78 to a minimum of 38 aircraft earlier this year. The DoD also transferred budget authority for the JCA from the army to the USAF.
L-3 and Alenia, meanwhile, are continuing to prepare the first two C-27Js delivered to the DoD for maiden deployment in August 2010.
Lead image - C130 © Lockheed Martin
Source: Flight International
