The JCA Program: Key West Sabotage?

C-23 Sherpa in-theater(click to view full) The US Air Force’s has been maneuvering in a way that puts in question the “joint” in “Joint Cargo Aircraft” (JCA). The rationale for JCA is to buy smaller and cheaper planes than the C-130 Hercules, which could provide tactical transport in-theater into smaller airfields, with smaller loads, more quickly, and at less cost than C-130s or maintenance-intensive CH-47 helicopters. The $1.3 billion program for 33 initial aircraft is an Army priority, as its C-23B Sherpa and C-12 Huron aircraft are wearing out quickly and the current war has highlighted this area as a problem for soldiers on the ground. Combat commanders have also complained about air transport that couldn’t make full use of the shorter runways found throughout CENTCOM’s areas of operation. Despite this, the JCA program was recently on the receiving end of almost total FY 2007 cuts from a Senate committee. JCA: The Budgetary Brouhaha C-295M: Alaska flight(click to view full) “…the Army needs the aircraft in 2008, but the Air Force, having C-130s, is waiting until 2010. So for the 2007 budget request, the Army requested $113m for the JCA, while the Air Force $15m. The Airland Subcommittee asked the […]