Running on Empty: The Development of Helicopter Aerial Refueling and Implications for Future USAF Combat Rescue Capabilities
Running on Empty: The Development of Helicopter Aerial Refueling and Implications for Future USAF Combat Rescue Capabilities
- New search for: T. W. Colburn
- New search for: T. W. Colburn
By 1999 the total active United States Air Force fighter wing equivalents will have shrunk from 24 to 13 in only ten years. The declining defense budget means painful force structure decisions lie ahead. Even as funds are drying up, the armed forces are being called upon to execute contingencies in places such as Haiti, Somalia, Liberia, and Bosnia. The future appears very busy for Air Force rescue units as well. According to Strategic Assessment 1996 Instruments of U.S. Power by the National Defense University and the Institute for National Strategic Studies, U.S. armed forces will most likely be called upon to engage in numerous evacuation and rescue missions for Westerners over the next quarter of a century. It goes on to predict, The rescue of U.S. military personnel under combat conditions, particularly downed flight crews, will also continue to be carried out on a fairly frequent basis. Ultimately it concludes, The practice by certain societies of abusing U.S. military prisoners to put psychological pressure on the U.S. government and public will only make such rescue operations more imperative. To accomplish these long-range operations USAF rescue helicopters rely greatly on aerial refueling from HC-130 tanker aircraft. Unfortunately, the current fleet of HC-130s has many deficiencies that degrade mission performance. Worse yet, based upon current operations tempo these tankers will begin to lose airworthiness in 2005. Despite the budget crunch the time has come to modernize the HC-130 fleet. By tracing helicopter aerial refueling from its inception during the Vietnam War to the present, this paper will demonstrate the need to purchase new HC-130J aircraft. This should occur even if it means delaying other programs or further cutting active duty personnel.
Document information
Running on Empty: The Development of Helicopter Aerial Refueling and Implications for Future USAF Combat Rescue Capabilities
1997
47 pages
Report
No indication
English
Aeronautics , Aircraft , Logistics Military Facilities & Supplies , Helicopters , Refueling in flight , Fuel systems , Flight testing , Military personnel , Combat effectiveness , Flight crews , Long range(Time) , Flow rate , Long range(Distance) , Somalia , Altitude , Psychology , Air transportation , Military budgets , Search and rescue , Airworthiness , Bosnia herzegovina , Downed aircraft , Haiti , Prisoners of war , Liberia , Life saving , Vietnam war , Hc-130 aircrft
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