STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC
A large fixed-wing aircraft fleet that can haul supplies across hundreds of kilometres and serve as cargo feeders for heavylift helicopters is attracting increased interest from the US Army.
Army aviation planners have drafted a proposal to replace the US National Guard's modest fleet of around 44 Shorts C-23 Sherpas with 128 airlifters. Two aircraft - the Lockheed Martin Alenia Tactical Transport Systems C-27J Spartan and EADS Casa's C-295 - are lined up as contenders.
The idea has gained support only in recent months, as operations in Iraq have stretched a logistics system spread across 1,200km (650nm).
"You tell me how many times it takes to refuel a CH-47 [Chinook to fly that far]," says Maj Gen James Thurman, chairman of the army's Aviation Task Force, which is planning to reshape the branch's procurement budget and unit structure. The task force is pursuing alternatives to the C-23 for the army's dedicated fixed-wing platform, says Thurman, speaking on 7 January at the Association of the United States Army Aviation Symposium.
Source: Flight International
