Factors may be on side of C-5As; Air Force may be unable to retire aging aircraft as quickly...

The Macon Telegraph ^ | Mon, Aug. 04, 2003 | Gene Rector

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

We need the jobs out here in southern California.

Build more of those incredible flying C-17's!!!!!

[Wright is right!]

"• U.S. forces already suffer from significant airlift shortfalls, deficiencies underscored during the recent Iraqi war."

This is stated as fact, without a source. Fact is that we moved a mountain of materiel and I never heard one peep about us not having enough lift capacity. Any takers?

Michael

[Severa]

Now THERE'S a perspective shot for ya...

[TankerKC]

A gang of brutal realities may be the strongest ally Robins Air Force Base has in preserving its C-5A workload - at least for the next several years.

More "what's good for my district" military analysis.

[onedoug]

"Can it core a apple?"

[Severa]

*jaw drop* That a C17? DAMN. That can't be real. *L*

[onedoug]

I suspect it's phony. But it sure makes a heck of a picture.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

It's an amazing short field transport!

[corkoman]

cant we convert these babies into Big Gunships like we do the C130?? That would be cool.

[Yasotay]

During Desert Storm / Provide Comfort I remember seeing the C-5As and 12 years ago they looked old and worn out .... I would hate to see them now or in the year 2040 ....

[Severa]

Continuing the 'it's almost too good to be true' department...

From the local paper, the Virginian-Pilot. This actually happened a few months ago at NAS Norfolk. C5 comes in about 1am, pilot is unfamiliar with the runway layout and manages to get this monstrosity stuck. Since the runway extends out over 564, the main route to NAS Norfolk, morning rush hour traffic got quite an eyeful on the way to the base. Took most of the day to get it back on track cause they had to wait for equipment from Dover AFB to move the damned thing. *L*

[Yasotay]

It's pretty clear that there isn't much airlift capacity (most of Desert Storm AND Iraq Freedom went by ship).The USAF cannot even airlift 1 "heavy division". The 82nd Airborne Division alone requires over 1,500 C-141B sorties.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

That would be an eyeful in the early morning!

[Oztrich Boy]

If it's kicking up that much dirt off a carrier deck, the Navy really needs to inprove it's housekeeping.

And lookie here: same plane, same dust, same shadows, no carrier

[onedoug]

Good find. 'Guess that puts that to rest.

[El Gato]

The 82nd Airborne Division alone requires over 1,500 C-141B sorties

What C-141Bs? Some have already been retired. The active duty fleet is scheduled to be retired by late this year or early next year. Guard and Reserve will get the "low mileage" birds, but will retire those by end of 2006, according to current plans. Some C-141 units have already stood down over the past year or two.

[mark502inf]

Fact is that we moved a mountain of materiel and I never heard one peep about us not having enough lift capacity.

Remember Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan? The Army had no artillery in country and only limited attack helicopters--I think it was 8(?). As a result, we were unable to successfully suppress enemy fire upon the initial insertion and we lost helicopters and American lives. Further, fixed wing air by nature of its short loiter time, limited flexibility, and inability to work in bad weather was not able to provide the promised support to the ground troops, so when Taliban or Al Qaeda were spotted outside the range of infantry weapons, they often could not be engaged and most eventually got away. The reason for not having the heavy stuff was insufficient airlift.

[El Gato]

And lookie here: same plane, same dust, same shadows, no carrier

However there are quite authentic pictures of a C-130 taking off AND landing on a carrier. A former Marine C-130 and chopper pilot who just retired from our office told me he flew that C-130 on many occasions, but not for the carrier trials.

More pictures, including videos, at: Aerospaceweb

[El Gato]

Fact is that we moved a mountain of materiel and I never heard one peep about us not having enough lift capacity.

Why do you think we did that kabooki dance with the turks over the 4th ID? If we could have flown them in, we would have, but instead we had to land them in Turkey and let them drive to Iraq. Then we had to move them, or more properly their equipemnt, from the Med to the Indian Ocean/Arabian Sea, after the Turks said no dice. If we could have flown them around, into Kuwait, there'd have been way more boots, wheels and treads on the ground during the earliest weeks of the fighting.