Gen. Ray Johns, AMC commander, said that a study will be done on C-27 performance in-theater next year to determine whether the Army needs additional “direct lift.” If it does, it will be provided by C-130s; there won’t be any additional buys of C-27Js. His reasoning: if more lift is needed, some of the missions the Army needs accomplished probably require “a bigger truck,” and the C-130s are already on hand and in-theater. Johns said his command has not yet set requirements for the Light Mobility Aircraft, which AMC will use to “partner” with less-developed countries needing only small cargo capability in very rough terrain. He has some ideas, but he’s not ready to share them.
This year’s Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting buzzed with talk of countering the rapidly evolving drone threat facing the entire U.S. military, including the Air Force. Leaders and defense industry officials discussed the need for new approaches to procurement and employment of a new class of these…
