The Air Force now has at its disposal a new means of airdrop to resupply ground troops operating from small-sized forward bases in Afghanistan. This low-cost, low-altitude (LCLA) combat airdrop concept was tested in early February with a C-130 transport from Bagram Airfield and is now operational, as of March 1, complementing other means of aerial resupply. “This is a significant step forward in our ability to sustain those engaged in counterinsurgency operations,” said Col. Keith Boone, air mobility division director in the US military’s combined air and space operations center in Southwest Asia. The LCLA concept entails dropping bundles weighing between 80 pounds and 500 pounds in groups of up to four with pre-packed expendable parachutes. These bundles are smaller than those traditionally airdropped. This method offers increased accuracy over higher altitude airdrops and does not require specialized aircrew training. (Bagram report by TSgt. Joseph Kapinos)
The Government Accountability Office wants the Air Force to explain who will run bases when wings deploy under the service’s new force generation model along with several other unanswered questions, saying the concept is long on vision but short on details.