Making cargo planes lethal

The US Air Force is developing new ways to use its aircraft in order to prepare for a war against a capable opponent, including repurposing cargo planes and tankers for other missions. Air Force Special Operations Command, headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Fla., has been working to enable AFSOC's workhorse cargo plane, the MC-130J, to drop pallets of long-range cruise missiles. "I think an adversary has to take a lot different look at the region when it comes to where can we project power from," Lt. Gen. Jim Slife, the head of AFSOC, said at an Air & Space Forces Association event on September 7. It can also be adopted by allies and partners. "The beauty is this capability doesn't require any aircraft modifications and it doesn't require any special crew training," Slife said. "So it's really easily exportable." The Air Force has been contemplating how to deploy more firepower with its existing fleet for nearly a decade. The idea has advanced rapidly over the past two years in an initiative known as Rapid Dragon, involving MC-130Js and other airlifters. (Source: Business Insider via Yahoo News, 09/13/22) Previous