Amphibious C 130 - The Air Force Special Operations Command says it needs the MC-130J on the float and appears to be planning to buy one.
In May, we reported that the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) wanted to make the C-130 seaplane dream come true. In fact, the so-called MC-130J, or MAC, wading capability is listed as one of the country's new procurement priorities. When we submitted that report we had a bit of a rendering of how it would look, along with other historical design concepts, we now have a better idea of what exactly they wanted, and yes, it's the C-130. floats
Amphibious C 130
In fact, they came up with many of the same hovercraft concepts, some looking more traditional and others looking more streamlined, relevant, and futuristic. Capabilities appear to include a requirement for amphibious operations. In other words, the MC-130 can still land on a runway fitted with a buoy. You can see the dump posted by AFSOC in this article.
A C 130 Hercules Aircraft With Four Firebee Target Drones Hung Under Its Wings Passes Over The Amphibious Assault Ship Uss Nassau (lha 4) (not Shown) In Preparation For Live Fire Testing Of The New
An official release of Air Defense Forces Special Operations Command on September 14, 2021, summed up what they said in May:
The C-130J is an extremely versatile aircraft and since its creation it has landed in rough lands, arctic locations and even on aircraft carriers, although it does not. can land on water, which covers about 71% of the planet's surface. As national strategic goals focus on coastal regions, Air Force Special Operations Command is developing new approaches to expand runway independence and operational capabilities. perform the tasks of multi-tasking platforms.
In partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory's Strategic Development Planning and Testing (AFRL-SDPE) Directorate, AFSOC is developing the MC-130J Commando II amphibious capability (MAC) to improve its capabilities. the platform's support for special operations at sea. “The evolution of MAC capabilities is the culmination of many efforts,” said Lt. Col. Josh Trantham, head of Science, Systems, Technology and Innovation (SST&I) at AFSOC. "This capability allows the Air Force to augment its disposition and approach for infiltration, evacuation, and personnel recovery, as well as providing enhanced logistical capabilities for future competition and conflict."
The operations, according to Trantham, will increase the global reach and survivability of the aircraft and Air Commandos. “Operations at sea provide a near-unlimited landing pad on the water, providing considerable flexibility for joint forces,” Trantham said.
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MAC capabilities can be used to provide unrestricted operational access to waterways for force distribution if land assets are compromised.
No doubt, runway independence is becoming a major issue in the Pentagon as a peer enemy of the state, and even long-range, incompetent airstrips. than, that is, through the use of ballistic missiles, threatening large fixed airstrips. Therefore, giving the C-130 the power and flexibility to take the load without a runway is becoming a very attractive proposition.
"MAC is critical to future success as it will enable the dispersion of assets across the commons... This diaspora complicates the targeting of aircraft by adversaries. our defenses and limit the possibility of vulnerable aircraft in fixed locations."
A five-phase prototyping initiative is currently underway with the hope of having a working demo of the MAC concept in just 17 months. It's an ambitious timeline backed by virtual modeling and other digital concepts that are currently hotly debated within the Pentagon and especially the Air Force. Lockheed Martin has the advantage of having conducted many design studies on this very type of capability in the past, including at least one based on the C-130J variant in the late 1990s.
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Then, with most of the development and testing work done, AFSOC could actually go into full acquisition mode to actually create a working MAC and help implement the concept on older cars. Another C-130 (anyone a fireman?).
"We believe that our sister services, allies, and partners will be able to use MACs on different C-130 platforms...Moreover, increased use of amphibious aircraft by other innovative tools will create an even more complex dilemma in the future. A battlefield for our strategic adversaries."
It's amazing to think that after nearly seven decades of the C-130, an aircraft that has been adapted to do so many different things, we are finally moving towards having an aircraft that can operate. underwater verb. There have been proposals in the past for a C-130 Hercules operating on water, but the US special operations community could make it a reality.
The US Army is once again reviewing the capabilities of the C-130 Hercules amphibious variant to support special operations forces. The project, in its early stages, depicts an artist's concept of an MC-130J Commando II multi-role fighter transport aircraft equipped with a large fuselage-mounted undercarriage. The MC-130J is the latest special operations version of the Hercules Air Force, intended to enter restricted areas to drop, unpack, or resupply special operations forces, as well as refuel machines. fly helicopters and tilt-rotor planes.
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The new effort, known as the MC-130J amphibious capability, or MAC, was launched by the United States today. Air Force Colonel Ken Kuebler, U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) program was revealed during a Executive Briefing for the Fixed Wing (PEO-FW). , during the annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC). At a media roundtable later in the day, Kubler added that the project's operational and feasibility studies are currently underway and the command is working with a "partner new” indeterminate to demonstrate the majority of ideas with digital design tools. In turn, this can speed up research and development and help reduce costs.
An MC-130J Commando II of the United States Air Force performs an aerial refueling mission off the coast of Okinawa, Japan. United States Air Force / Senior Pilot John Linzmeyer
SOCOM PEO-FW., a slide from Colonel Kubler's briefing that addresses the MAC concept as one of several SOCOM "focus areas"
It's important to note that the concept art from Kubler's briefing at the beginning of this article shows giant floats attached to the MC-130J, but he emphasized that the MAC idea was looking for a machine. amphibious aircraft can be operated from the ground. , as well as bodies of water. A basic hovercraft cannot be controlled from land, but the addition of wheels to the hovercraft can provide this capability. There are other possibilities as to how planes might actually wade through water.
Classic C 130 Gets New \
The idea of a C-130 operating on water has been around for decades, and the concept has been floated by parts of the Pentagon in the past. In fact, the plane's original manufacturer, Lockheed, introduced a fully amphibious Hercules with a boat-like hull in the 1960s, without success, despite the Navy The United States has at least conducted studies using a radio-controlled version of the proportional model. Lockheed has since evolved into Lockheed Martin, the current manufacturer of the C-130J series, including the MC-130J.
Also not new is the possibility of fitting the C-130J variant with float-like buoys attached to the fuselage, as seen in the PEO-FW concert art. Lockheed Martin proposed only one version of the plane in the late 1990s, supposedly for the US. After receiving interest from the Navy as a way to insert and remove SEAL teams and their dedicated watercraft from beach areas.
Of course, building a larger pontoon for Hercules would impose severe drag and weight penalties, reducing range and load capacity, even though operating a large aircraft is serious. on the floats is not unprecedented.
Given the amphibious requirements, though, it's possible the concept art is just a simple recycling of old seaplane artwork and not necessarily what SOCOM currently has for its seafaring Hercules. While a boat-like hull wouldn't have such a negative performance impact, it would require a more significant redesign, and Lockheed Martin hasn't been known to work on it recently.
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Regardless of the exact configuration, the amphibious MC-130J could provide new and novel capabilities to the US special operations community, especially as part of future missions and distributed operations. Overall, the U.S. military has explored operational concepts in recent years with a greater focus on the ability to operate from remote and isolated areas with very limited infrastructure if bases are to be found. Any large, old is destroyed or no longer available.
Air Force MC-130J crews have been trained to operate in this type of environment and there have been several attempts to expand the capabilities of the Commando II as well as the older MC-130H Combat Talon II. Restricted areas have little or no infrastructure. You can read more about these initiatives in the former War Zones feature.
At the same time, the U.S. special operations community is currently in the process of considering how it can contribute to high-profile conflicts against peer adversaries such as China or Russia, and especially the in wider deployment. Asia-Pacific region. This includes operating from small islands in the Asia-Pacific region, where
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