Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!ccu.umanitoba.ca!herald.usask.ca!alberta!ubc-cs!uw-beaver!cornell!llenroc!batcomputer!caen!uwm.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Pentagon budget: sexy vs. boring Message-ID: <1991Mar14.034617.25822@cbnews.att.com> Date: 14 Mar 91 03:46:17 GMT References: <1991Mar6.035953.22789@cbnews.att.com> <1991Mar12.225330.26119@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (william.b.thacker) Organization: U of Toronto Zoology Lines: 28 Approved: military@att.att.com From: henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) >From: Eric Andrew Morgan >I know for a fact that the Defense Department in it's budget request to >Congress asked for much more funding for the C-17 Transport Plane. >Congress is inclined to give it to them... Congress is, however, starting to ask what the C-17 can do that more C-5s couldn't do sooner and cheaper. Lockheed is offering to restart production of the C-5 for much less than what McDD wants/needs to build C-17s. The orthodox excuse is that the C-5 is incapable of flying heavy loads direct to the front lines, while the C-17 can do this. Surprise surprise, if you look at the original C-5 specs, it was supposed to be able to fly heavy loads to the front lines! There were problems with debris damaging engines when operating on soft surfaces, and the USAF was reluctant to clear the C-5 for such operations in the end; nothing has been said about why the C-17 won't have the same problems. The clincher is that like the C-5, the C-17 will be bought in sufficiently small numbers that the USAF almost certainly would never authorize risking them in front-line flights. As shown by both recent and earlier experiences, heavy airlifters are very valuable. If there aren't many of them, they will be kept well back from the combat zone and front-line capability will be irrelevant. -- "But this *is* the simplified version | Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology for the general public." -S. Harris | henry@zoo.toronto.edu utzoo!henry