THE US ARMY WILL launch a competition later this month to replace six aging Alaska Support Aircraft de Havilland UV-18 Twin Otters. It may also buy up to C-XX 35 medium-range fixed-wing transports based on light/medium business jets. The programme is part of a plan to renew the Army's transport assets.
The 35-aircraft C-XX procurement programme is intended to start in September, but the Army's plan to purchase 50 larger multi-mission medium tactical transports (M3T2) is in limbo.
The Army, however, has issued an operational requirement document for the C-XX. The competition is for turbofan- and turboprop-powered aircraft.
According to US Army Lt. Col. Randall Cason, fixed-wing-aircraft product manager, the US Army's Fixed-Wing Investment Strategy is to cut the number of aircraft types by 2015, from the 21 now operated by active US Army and reserve-forces aviation units, to a handful of types.
They include aircraft for short-, medium- and long-range utility missions. The fourth aircraft, the M3T2, would be used for four missions: medical evacuation, intelligence gathering, intra-theatre cargo transport and special operations.
An effort to replace 132 in-service, short-range, C-12s (Beech King Airs) with up to 100 aircraft will not begin until 2005, at least. Four long-range C-20s (Gulfstream IIIs) are scheduled to stay in service indefinitely.
The most ambitious portion of the strategy involves the M3T2, each of which would cost between $16-20 million.
A short take-off-and-landing aircraft, it would have a cargo door/rear ramp and be flown to a maximum altitude of 35,000ft (10,500m). Candidates included the Alenia G.222, the CASA CN-235, the IPTN N-250 and the Fokker 50, but funding and mission-requirement concerns may stall the project.
Source: Flight International