I should think the extant c-5s and c-130s should cover our needs....
Are you joking? Aircraft DO wear out you know. All through the
1990s, I read how our critical airlift capability was wearing out.
If that’s somehow changed, I must have missed it. I know a C-5 avionics
upgrade was scrapped some years ago.
Do you have any idea how long it takes to procure a new aircraft from scratch? Try
20 years (or more). So...when you actually field one, its important
to get it in the quantities you really need—cause the replacement
won’t be coming anytime soon (if ever).
C-5’s are a maintenance nightmare and do not have access to large parts of the world due to runway construction. C-130’s are just to slow and too small for large lifts. Most of our logistical problems in the current wars were because not enough stuff and personnel could be moved fast enough. The battle in Tora Bora several years ago was delayed because of supply problems.