38 C-27s Is the Limit

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.