The U.S. is ferrying troops and material all over the world chasing bad guys. The trans oceanic routes are flown by C-5s, a model that first came into service in the late 1960s, and C-17s. The latter entered service in 1995. In-theater work is handled by the venerable Lockheed C-130 Hercules which first flew for the Air Force in 1956. It has finally occurred to someone in the Pentagon that we may need heavy lift replacement aircraft sooner rather than later. Unfortunately, it is not even opening the formal specification process until 2014 and doesn't expect to actually buy aircraft until 2024. Even at that it only anticipates buying 250 birds. The Air Force, of course, doesn't know what it wants in capabilities, so the artist's conception shown here may or may not bear some resemblance to the final product. You can be sure, though, that it will be both delayed and considerably more expensive than promised. We need the planes, but this is the type of procurement process that recently retired Secretary Gates has warned needs to be reformed. Given this start to the process, I won't be holding my breath.
defensetech.org/2010/10/25/so-the-air-force-wants-a-c-130-replacement-by-2024/
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