By Marina Malenic
Recapitalization of the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) MC-130 fleet and the acquisition of a new gunship remain at the top of the command’s list of funding priorities, a top official said this week.
“This isn’t a discussion of C-130 versus AC-XX,” said Col. J.D. Clem, deputy director of plans, programs, requirements and assessments for the command, said on Feb. 11. Clem was speaking at the National Defense Industrial Association’s Special Operations/Low Intensity Conflict Symposium in Washington.
“We believe there is a need for both,” he added. “We actually need AC-130s and we need something smaller that fits into a different role.”
AFSOC was established in 1990 to provide special operations forces for worldwide deployment. The command’s key missions include battlefield air operations, agile combat support, information operations and specialized surveillance and reconnaissance.
The AC-130 aircraft in the AFSOC fleet need some 14 hours of maintenance for every hour in flight, according to one Air Force official. The official also noted that wing cracks are leading to center wing box replacements five years ahead of schedule.
Clem said AFSOC has a plan to replace the 37 MC-130Es and MC-130Ps with new C-130Js. He also said procurement of the new gunship is a top priority and that AFSOC’s acquisition strategy can be summed up as, “buy the platform, perfect it later.”
The Pentagon’s 2008 budget reprogramming request included $32 million from AFSOC for the purchase of a C-27J. That platform was converted into a small prototype AC-XX gunship, using “proven/known” weapons and systems.
Beyond acquisition, Clem said the command continues to focus on “balance.”
“[Irregular warfare] is a raging discussion, and we are working with the Air Force and [U.S. Special Operations Command] to define the air role,” he said.