[CO_dreamer]

Wouldn't it be a helluva lot cheaper to transport them by freighter? Jeez, airmailing them to Oahu for training seems a bit extreme. It's not like they are being rushed to a combat zone. How many C-17's does it take to airlift 300 Strykers to Hawaii anyway?

[Cannoneer No. 4]

yes

They will be stationed on Oahu and shipped or flown to the Big Island for training.

150

[archy]

How many C-17's does it take to airlift 300 Strykers to Hawaii anyway?

2 Strykers per C-17 sortie load, plus seperate transport for crews, spare parts, [LOTS of extra wheels and tires; I understand they're deploying with 150% spare tires, 12 spares per vehicle] maintenance crews and other useful accessories, assuming fuel and ammo in place where they arrive. Accordingly, a ballpark answer would be 300 flights.

The Air Force originally programmed to buy a total of 120 C-17s, with the last one being delivered in November 2004. The fiscal 2000 budget funded another 14 C-17s for special operations duty.

-US Air Force C-17 FactFile.

-archy-/-