The Air Force Special Operations Command anticipates that it will need a new
medium-lift plane in the future, possibly to replace the venerable C-130 Hercules.
Although the command currently is satisfied with the performance of the Hercules,
it expects that, in the long term, commandos will need more capable and more
survivable aircraft to move equipment and troops.
But it is unlikely that any new aircraft will be purchased in the foreseeable
future. A budget crunch at the Defense Department means that it will be at least
15 to 20 years before new medium-lift aircraft programs get off the ground.
Any Air Force efforts to purchase new transports likely will face financial
hurdles during the next several years as the service seeks to fund large tactical
fighter jet programs such as the F-22 and the Joint Strike Fighter.
Budget problems at the Air Force level certainly would have significant implications
for the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), based in Hurlburt Field,
Fla. Getting a replacement for the Hercules could take decades.
"The C-130 derivatives AFSOC flies are adequate for today's missions,"
said command spokesman 1st Lt. Denise Shorb. "With prudent upgrades, particularly
to defensive systems, we expect they will remain adequate through the near term,"
she told National Defense.
AFSOC's fleet includes 87 C-130s, in several variants: the MC-130P Combat Shadow
refueling aircraft, the MC-130E Combat Talon I penetrating tanker aircraft,
the MC-130H Combat Talon II infiltration and resupply aircraft, and the AC-130U
and AC-130H gunships. The gunships are equipped with rapid-fire weapons for
close air support and other missions.
According to Shorb, AFSOC will need to replace C-130 airframes in the mid- to
long-term "as they become less survivable in the anticipated threat environment
and as aircraft aging issues drive up the operating costs of these aircraft,"
she said. "While our exact requirements for a C-130 replacement have not
been formally documented at this time, we expect to have those requirements
defined within the next two years."
AFSOC requirements for a C-130 replacement "have not been formally defined,"
she said. But "we anticipate needing an aircraft of nearly the same cargo
capacity as a C-130. The aircraft will almost certainly be required to carry
tactical vehicles, watercraft, palletized cargo and an inter-modal shipping
container.
"We believe this aircraft will need to have vertical or short take-off
and landing capability, and that may give it the ability to operate from U.S.
Navy ships," said Shorb. Future aircraft, additionally, "will need
to be more capable than existing C-130 derivatives, particularly in regard to
defeating or evading the threats we see coming on the future battlefield."
As a result, AFSOC wants aircraft that can offer more "speed, maneuverability,
countermeasures systems, and will likely require incorporation of some facets
of stealth technology," said Shorb. "In terms of overall lift capacity
required in the future, we do not see any significant reduction or growth in
the requirements."
Meanwhile, plans to replace AFSOC's attack planes, the gunships, have not been
precisely defined, she said, "There are several considerations that will
need to be made in the design of the aircraft to follow AFSOC's current gunship
fleet," Shorb said. "Future gunship platforms will need to be much
more survivable, which will likely lead to an aircraft of reduced size, increased
speed and maneuverability. This aircraft will almost certainly need to be of
low-observable design, and will need to incorporate an advanced suite of weapons
and countermeasures."
Another key AFSOC platform, the EC-130E "psy-ops" aircraft, would
need to be replaced in the future. Shorb said proposals are being evaluated.
The 130E, known as "Commando Solo," is equipped with broadcasting
capabilities, primarily for psychological operations missions. It can broadcast
using commercial AM and FM radio bands, VHF and UHF television bands, and the
military's VHF, HF, and FM frequencies. Broadcasts from the aircraft are carried
out in areas of military or political unrest to either inform or influence military
and civilian personnel in the area.
The Commando Solo also is a jamming platform, used to interfere with enemy
communications systems. According to Shorb, an ongoing study of an EC-130 follow-on
will yield a formal report soon. "AFSOC anticipates that its long-standing
belief that the best way to replace our EC-130E Commando Solo fleet is with
a commercial jet platform, will be proved correct," she said.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems, Marietta, Ga., currently is building three
EC-130J Command Solo aircraft for the Air National Guard's 193rd Special Operations
Wing, based in Harrisburg, Pa. The contractor said all three aircraft would
be ready for service in the second quarter of 2001.
Tactical Airlift
The Air Force long-term plan to modernize its tactical airlift fleet, meanwhile,
calls for the development of a new platform around 2012 that would replace the
C-130. But experts predict the Defense Department will not have the dollars
to start a new aircraft program. Even the Air Force acquisition of the newest
Hercules, the C-130J, has run into trouble during recent budget deliberations
at the Pentagon. The aircraft builder, Lockheed Martin Corporation, aggressively
is seeking to secure orders for this plane and has offered the Pentagon special
discounts in exchange for a multi-year order. The Air Force had planned to start
buying 150 of the Js in 2002 to replace the oldest Hercules in the fleet. But
that could change, depending on whether funding is available.
To keep the current fleet-which has nearly 700 C-130s-from becoming technologically
obsolete, the Air Force recently kicked off a large modernization program called
the C-130 avionics modernization program (AMP).
The Air Force wants to modify 519 older models of the plane and equip them
with state-of-the-art technologies and digital avionics similar to the C-130J's.
The avionics of the 519 aircraft in the AMP project would be changed to a common
C-130X model. Currently, the C-130s in the fleet feature about 15 different
avionics configurations. Among the upgrades planned is a glass cockpit with
digital displays, a more advanced radar, collision avoidance instruments and
a new global air traffic control system called GATMS. This technology currently
is being used throughout the world to ease congestion in the air, so airplanes
can fly more closely to each other, but safely.
The current value of the engineering and manufacturing development and the
production and installation contract is $3.9 billion. But this amount will modify
397 aircraft, said Lt. David Huxsoll, an Air Force spokesman. The additional
funding for the remaining 122 aircraft will be requested and addressed in the
fiscal 2002 budget process, said Huxsoll. According to Defense Department budget
documents, the program will receive $450 million between fiscal years 2001 and
2005. But the entire program could stretch over a 15 to 17-year period.
A request for proposals (RFP) to contractors was expected to be posted this
month. Industry proposals will be due in May and the award is planned for November
2000. Several dozen companies registered as potential bidders, but, so far,
three industry teams have emerged as strong candidates for the award. The Boeing
Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation and the Raytheon Company each lead a team.
According to Pentagon and industry sources, the program management and oversight
of the C-130X will shift from the Air Force to the office of the undersecretary
of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics. A Pentagon official told
National Defense that the changes were directed "verbally" but nothing
has yet been put in writing. "The C-130X is in the pipeline to go to OSD
[office of the secretary of defense]," said the source. Some contractors fear this shifting in the program's chain of command could
contribute to future delays. "It's another review cycle that could stretch
out [the program] more, [but] it doesn't bother us," said Ed Tenoso, C-130X
program manager at Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems.
Most of the upgrades to the C130X configuration will be performed on C-130Hs
(286). The remaining aircraft to be modified include 74 C-130Es, 21 AC-130 gunships,
22 EC-130s, 40 HC-130 tankers, 10 LC-130 ski-equipped transports and 66 MC-130
special operations variants.
Huxsoll said each prime contractor competing for this program chooses its own
suppliers. "The sub-components are not specified to enable the contractor
the maximum trade space and flexibility in proposing their solution."
If Lockheed wins the contract, the plan would be to consolidate all C-130X work
at the Marietta facility, said Tenoso. That is where the company also builds
the C-130J.
Lockheed's team includes several of the company's divisions. Lockheed Martin
Federal Systems, in Owego, N.Y. will work on the avionics. Lockheed Martin Air
Logistics Center, in Greenville, N.C., will be responsible for managing the
installation. Lockheed Martin Information Systems, in Orlando, Fla., will provide
training and the company's Skunk Works unit, in Palmdale, Calif., will support
the special operations-related work.
Boeing, meanwhile, is in the process of choosing suppliers, said spokesman
Paul Gusi. The company's aerospace support division in St. Louis, will be the
prime contractor. At press time, Gusi declined to provide details on any teaming
arrangements with potential suppliers. The company believes it can benefit from
its previous work on AC-130 gunships, he said.
More than a year ago, Boeing was awarded the so-called integrated weapon system
support program contract for the AC-130, which is equipped with side-firing
guns. It is a 10-year $1.2 billion project. However, this is not part of the
C-130 AMP solicitation, Huxsoll stressed. "If the selected prime contractor
for the C-130 AMP program chooses to do so," he noted, "the prime
contractor can subcontract with Boeing to install the AMP modification to the
special operations aircraft."
Under a contract awarded in 1987, Boeing manufactures and supports the AC-130U.
The company, which so far has delivered 13 gunships, has maintenance facilities
in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., two miles from Hurlburt Field.
The other prime contractor in the competition is Raytheon Aircraft Integration
Systems Division in Greenville, Texas. Raytheon spokesman John Sutton said the
company has been involved in C-130-related work since the 1960s.
As the Air Force proceeds with its AMP project, the Air Mobility Command (AMC)
has contracted with the Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA), a government-funded
research firm, for an "intra-theater lift analysis to specifically look
at the C-130X/C-130J quantity and mix for intra-theater requirements,"
said Kelly Green, an AMC spokesman. The command supports the entire Defense
Department for strategic and tactical airlift as well as refueling aircraft
needs.
Lift Study
"We expect IDA's study to be completed sometime early next year,"
said Green. A separate intra-theater lift analysis also will be conducted by
the Joint Staff as a follow-on to the Air Force most recent air mobility study,
called MRS-05. The Joint Staff, said Green, will "examine all intra-theater
lift requirements, to include rail, barge, trucks, and other watercraft, as
well as intra-theater roles for the C-17." The C-17 is the Air Force's
newest strategic cargo plane.
IDA officials did not return phone calls seeking comment on the study.
How these studies and long-term planning will affect the special operations
forces remains unclear.
"There is a requirement but no funding profile," to replace the MC-130
and AC-130 for the Air Force special operations units, said Bill Dane, aerospace
analyst at Forecast International, a research firm in Newtown, Conn.
AFSOC will receive 50 new CV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft (related story, p. 22)
to replace some MC-130Es around 2004 and 2005," Dane said in an interview.
"But these [CV-22s] only carry 18 troops." Special operations forces
still will need a bigger transport with more payload capacity and more range,
he added.
Dane believes the U.S. special operations forces are eyeing the C-27J tactical
airlifter as a potential platform for the future. The C-27J Spartan is much
smaller than a C-130J, but it can take off and land in shorter runways and can
operate in unprepared fields. The Spartan is under development by Lockheed Martin
and Italy's Alenia Aeronautica. Both firms are marketing the aircraft worldwide
as a "complement" to the Hercules.
"The C-27 could be a realistic and affordable solution for special operations,"
said Dane. The C-27J costs about $21 million. The C-130J is priced at about
$55 million.
The Spartan, explained Dane, has shorter range and less payload than the C-130.
But that could be an advantage for special operations forces who need to get
in and out of a battle zone in a hurry, with a lower radar signature. AFSOC,
he added, "might be able to use the C-27J as the requirement gets more
urgent and the money remains unavailable to develop an aircraft from scratch.