Posted on 03/03/2003 10:51:18 AM PST by Stand Watch Listen
The US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), as part of the broader build-up of US special operations forces to combat terrorism worldwide, intends to acquire 10 additional MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft to augment its existing fleet of 22 aircraft.To meet this requirement, the command intends to convert 10 air force C-130H cargo aircraft to the special operations configuration under an initiative called the 'Mod 10 Combat Talon II' programme. The project will likely start in Fiscal Year 2005 (FY05), perhaps sooner, said US defence officials.
They added that the 10 aircraft would ease the burgeoning demand on the Combat Talon II fleet brought about by increased operations such as 'Enduring Freedom' in Afghanistan, and the additional need for them in the event of a war in Iraq. The recent loss of two aircraft - one in June 2002 during a mission in Afghanistan, the second two months later while training in Puerto Rico - has further exacerbated the strain.
The AFSOC wants a contractor to modify the 10 aircraft so they are "Talon II-like" minus the avionics required for the Combat Talon II's sophisticated terrain-following and terrain-avoidance capabilities. These modifications are likely to include an advanced electronic-warfare suite in the aircraft, said industry officials.
On completion of this initial work, the command said it will send the aircraft to receive modern avionics as part of Boeing's continuing C-130 Avionics Modernisation Programme.
The overall objective, the command said, is to make the 10 aircraft common with the rest of the Combat Talon II fleet "to the maximum extent possible". It also wants an Autonomous Landing Guidance system for them.
The Combat Talon II entered service in 1991. It inserts and extracts special operations forces and equipment. Secondary missions include psychological operations. It has dispensed, for example, the 15,000 lb-class BLU-82 bomb in Afghanistan and in Iraq to intimidate enemy forces in the field. The AFSOC would like to add wing pods to the aircraft so they could refuel special operations helicopters like the Vietnam War-era Combat Talon I, which is still in service with the Air Force Reserve Command.
As Jane's Defence Weekly went to press, the AFSOC planned to meet on 4 March with industry to discuss conversion options. BAE Systems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and L-3 Communications have expressed interest in competing to carry out the modifications. Lockheed Martin is the current systems integrator for the aircraft.
Overall, the US Department of Defense intends to spend about $6 billion on its special operations forces in FY04, up from $4.9 billion in FY03 (JDW 15 January). Included in this mix is potentially accelerating the acquisition of the AFSOC's CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft if it passes flight testing.
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