House passes bill to transfer C-27J aircraft to Coast Guard; USFS would receive C-130Hs, No Senate Action Yet!

There are some reports on the street that the Air Force is about to transfer all their C-27Js to the Coast Guard. While the intent is there, it hasn't happened and may not happen. Until the Senate approves this budget which may not happen, this is a non-event.

Source: http://fireaviation.com/2013/12/13/house-passes-bill-to-transfer-c-27j-aircraft-to-coast-guard-usfs-would-receive-c-130hs/

House passes bill to transfer C-27J aircraft to Coast Guard; USFS would receive C-130Hs

On Thursday the House passed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2014 that contains provisions for the Forest Service to receive seven C-130H aircraft in lieu of the C-27Js they had been expecting. The bill passed with a vote of 350 to 69. Its next stop will be the Senate, which is tied up debating executive nominations, but they are expected to take up the bill next week before they adjourn on December 20.

The last time we reported on the possible transfer of excess C-27J aircraft from the Air Force to the Forest Service, there had been a proposal to instead, give all 14 of the remaining C-27Js to the Coast Guard if the Coast Guard would transfer seven C-130Hs to the Forest Service to be used as air tankers. With an agreement reached on December 9 regarding the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 between Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. James M. Inhofe, R-Okla., chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, that proposal remained alive.

The bill passed by the House today:

• Requires the Coast Guard to transfer seven HC-130H aircraft to the Air Force.
• Requires the Secretary of the Air Force to spend up to $130 million to upgrade those seven aircraft to make them suitable for Forest Service use a firefighting aircraft.
• Requires the Forest Service to accept the upgraded HC-130H aircraft in lieu of exercising their right to take seven excess C-27J aircraft.
• Transfers 14 excess C-27J aircraft from DOD to the Coast Guard.
• Transfers up to 15 C-23 Sherpa aircraft from DOD to the Forest Service.

Before transferring the C-130Hs to the Forest Service, the Air Force would:

…perform center and outer wingbox replacement modifications, progressive fuselage structural inspections, and configuration modifications necessary to convert each HC-130H aircraft as large air tanker wildfire suppression aircraft.

C-27 program cut explained, budget aligned with strategy

by Tech. Sgt. Jess Harvey, Air Force Public Affairs Agency

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Air Force deputy chief of staff for strategic plans and programs discussed the reasoning behind the C-27J Spartan program cut from the fiscal 2013 budget request during the Air Force Association's monthly breakfast seminar here March 27.

"It's not because it isn't a good aircraft, and it's not because it wasn't a good idea $487 billion ago," said Lt. Gen. Christopher Miller. "We are going to make more disciplined use of defense dollars."

From a financial and programmatic perspective, anytime an entire weapons system, its logistic support and training infrastructure can be eliminated without harming the capabilities of the force, the benefits are greater, Miller said.

"The savings that you reap from that kind of action is far greater than if you just retired a fractional number of the fleet," he said.

Coupling the facts that the Air Force was under financial pressure and the life-cycle costs of the C-27 exceeded that of the C-130 Hercules because of how it was to be based, there wasn't any other realistic option, especially given that the Air Force can accomplish its goals with the C-130, according to Miller. "We remain committed to supporting our Army teammates."

"(Cutting the C-27 program) was a decision we did not like to make, but that we had to make," he said. "Its capacity, over and above the rest of the fleet, simply was not needed under the demands of the new strategy. What that allowed us to do was keep some very important things on track."

He said the savings allowed the Air Force to maintain focus on systems like the KC-46A Tanker and the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter as well as other, not-so-visible systems like global positioning satellites, space programs, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems.

"We want to make decisions in the near term that support the strategic vision in the long term," Miller said. "As we start to come out of Afghanistan, and have come out of Iraq, we are facing a new resource era."

He said the Air Force is looking at a type of full-spectrum rebalancing within the force.

"We're trying to bring all these things we've done for a long time into a sustainable balance for the future," the general said. "Space and cyber are clearly more predominant in all aspects of military operations than they used to be."

The Air Force is going to put even more emphasis on making sure the active, Guard and Reserve components are balanced appropriately and making sure Airmen and assets are fully ready all the time, he said.

"Maintaining a smaller force that is anything less than ready is a bad idea," said Miller.

Air Force Selects Preferred Alternative Base for C-27J Training Aircraft

The Air Force announced today that it has chosen Key Field Air National Guard Base, Miss., as the preferred alternative base for the C-27J training aircraft.

The secretary of the Air Force and the chief of staff of the Air Force carefully considered the site survey results, mission-specific objective criteria, and other military judgment factors in making this preferred alternative decision.

“This base is the right location for these two C-27J training aircraft,” said Kathleen Ferguson, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations. “This will provide the Air Force with the appropriate synergy to accomplish its mission.”

This announcement is not a final basing decision. Selection is subject to completion of the environmental impact analysis process. Pending completion of the analysis, the Air Force intends to beddown two training C-27Js, with aircraft arriving in the second half of fiscal 2014.

Air Force officials announce C-27J aircraft basing proposal

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Air Force officials announced Oct. 13 that Great Falls International Airport, Mont., is the preferred alternative to be the seventh operational location for bedding down four C-27J Spartan aircraft.

Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Norton Schwartz announced in July two candidate bases that included Boise Air Terminal Air Guard Station, Idaho, and Great Falls International Airport. Site survey teams evaluated the two candidate sites for feasibility, timing, cost and planning purposes to meet initial operational capability requirements.

The C-27J is a twin turboprop engine aircraft designed to meet the Air Force requirement for a rugged, medium size airland transport. The C-27J gives U.S. military troops a unique, short-take-off-and-landing capability, providing access to airstrips otherwise unreachable by fixed-wing aircraft.

The first six operational bases announced in July 2008 were Martin State AGS, Baltimore, Md.; W.K. Kellogg Airport, Battle Creek, Mich.; Bradley International Airport AGS, Bradley, Conn.; Hector Field AGS, Fargo, N.D.; Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, Mansfield, Ohio; and Key Field AGS, Meridian, Miss.

The final basing decision for the seventh operational base is pending completion of environmental impact analysis, expected by May 2011. A final announcement is expected in June 2011 with aircraft delivery expected in mid-2014.

Air Force Announces C-27J Basing Proposal

The Department of the Air Force announced today its candidate basing decision for the C-27J operations and training aircraft.

The secretary and chief of staff of the Air Force approved C-27J operations and training candidate bases. Training candidates are: Key Field Air Guard Station, Miss; Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, Ohio. Operations candidates are: Boise Air Terminal Air Guard Station, Idaho; and Great Falls International Airport, Mont. The Air Force will conduct site surveys at the candidate locations and initiate the environmental impact analysis process in preparation for a final selection.

The C-27J is a twin turboprop engine aircraft designed to meet an Air Force requirement for a rugged, medium size airland transport. The C-27J gives U.S. military troops a unique, short-take-off-and-landing capability, providing access to airstrips otherwise unusable by fixed-wing aircraft.

C-27J training operations center opens

by Wayne Crenshaw, 78th Air Base Wing

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Air Force, Army and community officials celebrated the opening of a new cargo plane schoolhouse Dec. 9, here.

The C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft Schoolhouse will be used to train pilots of the C-27J, the new cargo plane used to reduce the need for ground convoys in dangerous areas.

After years of development by the Army, the C-27J Spartan program has shifted to the Air Force, but will be a joint program and both Army and Air Force pilots and loadmasters will attend the school.

The school has already been in operation at Robins Air Force Base since Sept. 9, when the first of two C-27J planes arrived here, but the school will be under development through 2011. Still to be added are a operational flight trainer and a fuselage trainer. A mockup cockpit has already been installed.

"This aircraft will provide the capability to fly in Afghanistan where they do not have the infrastructure to handle our larger aircraft," said Army Col. Anthony Potts, the project manager for aviation systems. "It will have the capability to get supplies not within 50 miles of our forces but within the last tactical mile."

The school had already been operating on a temporary basis in Waco, Texas, but transferred here Sept. 9 with the arrival of the first plane. That allowed the first graduating class of the school to be recognized at the ceremony.

The program calls for a minimum of 38 aircraft, but Army Maj. Gen. William T. Nesbitt, the adjutant general of Georgia, said at the ceremony that he believes that number will eventually rise to 78. The aircraft will be stationed at Air National Guard bases.

He said after the ceremony that that the aircraft will definitely save lives if the program's potential is fully realized.

"It will (save lives) if we field an adequate number of aircraft, but right now I don't think 38 is enough," he said. Development of the school is a $1.8 million project, which includes $300,000 from the state of Georgia, $125,000 from the city of Warner Robins and the Houston County Development Authority, and $50,000 from the Macon-Bibb Development Authority.

CONOP test finding success for Air Force in Iraq

by Mark Diamond, Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- According to air mobility experts on the ground in Iraq, initial results of the ongoing U.S. Army direct support mission Concept of Operations test there indicate what Air Force and Air Mobility Command officials have said all along: the Air Force supports this mission 100 percent.

The CONOP test began Nov. 5 and will continue through December.

In April, through Resource Memorandum Decision 802, Defense Secretary Robert Gates moved the C-27J program and its related direct support airlift mission from the Army to the Air Force. And since April, the Air Force and AMC have taken a serious approach to building the program.

As part of that approach, AMC officials drafted a Concept of Employment to support the delivery of Army time-sensitive, mission-critical equipment, supplies and personnel into the Commander of Army Forces' area of operations. The plan gives the Senior Army Aviation Authority, or SAAA, tactical control of C-27J Air Force assets, which will be embedded with the SAAA.

That Concept of Employment has now become a Concept of Operations, or CONOP, which is being tested in Iraq via an expeditionary airlift squadron and two C-130 Hercules aircraft since the C-27J aircraft will not be operational until late 2010. According to Col. Gary McCue, the air liaison officer with the 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq, the squadron flies one aircraft daily, with the second aircraft on standby for immediate response, if necessary.

During testing, the 164th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, made up primarily of members of the 164th Airlift Squadron, Ohio Air National Guard, is tasked directly by the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade; similar to the system used by the Army's rotary-winged assets, such as the CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Black Hawk.

According to Colonel McCue, who is also the commander of the 179th Operations Group, Ohio ANG, the test will work out the command and control structure of the C-27 direct support mission and help the Air Force validate requirements. "We want to figure out how best to provide direct support to the Army in addition to what we're already doing," he said. "This has never been done before ... nobody knows where this is going to lead."

Although it's never been done before, Colonel McCue said it gets better with every day and with every mission.

Since the testing began, the team has completed dozens of sorties. Colonel McCue said each day varies, but so far the team has executed several sorties during each mission and, as the test progresses, they expect to add more sorties per mission. He said they are getting into their "battle rhythm," and each day is more successful than the previous.

"Our primary mission is to learn the Army's command and control and scheduling processes," Colonel McCue said. And, he said, his unit is perfectly suited for working with the Army.

"When the call came in asking if we would support this mission, it took us about 3 seconds to answer," said Colonel McCue. "As an Air Guard unit, we work very closely with the Army [National Guard] in Ohio. And since we rolled in here, it's been seamless. The Army wants this to work. They've been asking for this for 60 years. And we're showing them that we're with them 100 percent."

Although there are no set number of sorties each day, Colonel McCue said the team of air mobility experts executes the mission every day with the goal of completing the full day's taskings. So far, they're on track with 100 percent of the sorties executed.

Although this specific CONOP is new to the Air Force and AMC, mobility Airmen have a proven track record of providing direct support to ground forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. AMC officials said if the Army asks for something, particularly with airdrops, they've been able to fulfill their request 100 percent of the time.

In fact, the Air Force is setting airdrop records month after month in Afghanistan. In June, a record 3.2 million pounds of cargo was airdropped, only to be beaten in July with 3.3 million, then August with 3.8 million and again in September with 4.1 million pounds. As of Oct. 30, mobility aircraft had airdropped about 24 million pounds of cargo in Afghanistan in 2009, directly delivering much-needed supplies and aid to American and coalition warfighters.

The increase in airdrops isn't new. Air mobility forces have doubled their airdrop rate every year since 2006. In 2006 we dropped more than 4 million pounds; in 2007, more than 8 million; and in 2008, the total was 16.6 million pounds of cargo. At the current pace the 2009 total will likely reach more than 25 million pounds.

The record number of pounds delivered also means record numbers of airdrop bundles delivered. For example, in 2007, the Air Force airdropped 5,675 cargo bundles to troops in Afghanistan. In 2009, with an average of about 1,065 bundles a month, the Air Force is on pace to airdrop more than 16,000 bundles -- almost triple the pace of two years ago.

Mobility Airmen have also shown their direct support through intra-theater airlift. Through the end of August, more than 245,000 passengers and 119,000 tons of cargo were airlifted in the Afghanistan theater. In Iraq during the same time frame, it was just as significant, with 570,000 passengers and 92,000 tons of cargo airlifted.

Although the team is using C-130s to test the JCA CONOP, the Defense Department's designated direct support mission aircraft is the C-27J Spartan; what some are calling a "mini Herc."

Air Force officials will field 38 C-27Js to be operated by the Air National Guard. Current plans indicate the C-27J will be based at six ANG bases, including: Baltimore, Md.; Mansfield, Ohio; Fargo, N.D.; Bradley Airfield, Conn.; Battle Creek, Mich.; and Meridian, Miss.

C-27s to Afghanistan

A ceremony was held November 15 to celebrate the delivery of the first of twenty C-27 military transport planes from the U.S. to Afghanistan.

Air Guard Readies for C-27J Fleet

By Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke, Special to American Forces Press Service

The Air National Guard, for the first time, will be the sole operator of a new aircraft straight off the assembly line when it starts operations with C-27J Spartan cargo planes.

The Spartan, the latest propeller-driven airlifter, is an "extremely rugged" aircraft designed for austere environments, Air Force officials said. It is about half the size of a C-130, with 3.5 cargo pallet positions.

"It is the first time in U.S. Air Force history where the service acquired a new airframe solely owned, operated and maintained by the Air National Guard," said Air Force Lt. Col. Chris Beckman, the Air Guard's aviation planning and execution chief.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates moved the C-27J program and its related direct support mission from the Army to the Air Force in April. The Army chief of staff, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., supported Gates' decision. "We need the capability to resupply our forces," he said. "We do not have to fly the planes to get that." Flying fixed-wing aircraft is not an Army core competency, the general added.

Since that time, the Air Force's Air Mobility Command and the Air National Guard have taken a serious approach to building the program, officials said.

"Making a switch like this is no small affair, especially at this phase in the acquisition process," said Air Force Lt. Col. Gene Capone, Air Mobility Command's C-27J test manager at the Joint Program Office.

Capone added that the Army lost its fiscal 2010 funding for the C-27J due to the change, so the Air Force will fund the Army's completion of the multiservice testing and evaluation.

Air National Guard pilots and loadmasters from the 179th Airlift Wing in Mansfield, Ohio, and the 175th Wing in Baltimore will be the first operational C-27J crews to be trained and deployed, and are critical participants in testing and evaluation, Beckman said. The testing and evaluation, scheduled for April, will determine if the C-27J program is ready for deployment and domestic operations, he added.

Two Army National Guard units, Company H, 171st Aviation Regiment, from Georgia and 1st Battalion, 245th Airfield Operations Battalion, from Oklahoma also will participate in the testing and evaluation.

In addition to aircraft in Mansfield and Baltimore, the Air Force will field C-27J's at units in Fargo, N.D.; Bradley Air Field, Conn.; Battle Creek, Mich.; and Meridian, Miss.

"The [Air National Guard] has played a critical role in the development of the C-27J roadmap, to include basing, personnel, aircraft delivery, Air Force instruction and technical order development and review, service transfer and planning for operational execution," Beckman said.

To prove the direct-support concept for transporting time-sensitive and mission-critical Army payloads, the 179th Airlift Wing is leading a test that began several months ago. Following predeployment training and integration with an Army combat aviation brigade, the unit's C-130s recently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"All of this is being done well within the new current execution model of 24 months that all of our forces now live in," Beckman said. "For example, we are already looking at mobilization packages, and have not yet seen a tail or trained crew."

'Mini Herc' set to join Air Force fleet

A C-27J Spartan practices airdropping bundles during flight testing of the plane at Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz., in early 2009. In April, through Resource Management Decision 802, Defense Secretary Robert Gates moved the C-27J program and its related direct support mission from the Army to the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo)

by Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol, Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFNS) -- Air Force plans to include the C-27J Spartan, the latest propeller-driven airlifter planned for the Air Force inventory, are steadily progressing.

In April, through Resource Management Decision 802, Defense Secretary Robert Gates moved the C-27J program and its related direct support mission from the Army to the Air Force. Since April, the Air Force and Air Mobility Command have taken a serious approach to building the program, officials said.

"The program is in transition from an Army-led joint program to a sole Air Force program," said Lt. Col. Gene Capone, AMC's C-27J test manager at the Joint Program Office. "Making a switch like this is no small affair, especially at this phase in the acquisition process. Because the Army lost all fiscal year 2010 C-27J funding due to RMD 802, the Air Force is funding the Army to continue leading the program through completion of Multi-Service Operational Test and Evaluation."

The Air Force will field 38 C-27Js, operated by the Air National Guard. Two are currently going through qualification and operational testing.

According to Air Force officials, the C-27J is an "extremely rugged" aircraft, designed for austere environments. And, although it has yet to complete its testing, they say it should thrive in the "dirt."

"Think of the C-27J as a 'mini-Herc' -- it looks like and acts like a C-130, but it is about half the size (3.5 pallet positions versus 6 to 8 pallets for the C-130)," Colonel Capone said. "This smaller size brings efficiency of scale to the Air Force's portfolio of airlifters."

The colonel also said the aircraft is very powerful and agile.

"It flies a lot like a C-130, but with a bit more power for its weight," he said. "Of course, as with most airplanes the pilots who fly the aircraft love it -- myself included."

AMC officials here say work to make the C-27J capable of fully supporting the Army's needs in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility is also continuously progressing.

"The Secretary of Defense gave the C-27J and its mission to the Air Force and we are 100 percent committed to making this work," said Maj. Gen. Brooks Bash, director of AMC's Air, Space and Information Operations Directorate.

A formal test is taking place from October through December in Iraq to gather information on this new Air Force mission.

"This test will help us work out the command and control structure of the direct support mission and help us to validate requirements," said Col. Bobby Fowler, also with the Air, Space and Information Operations Directorate.

Air Force officials say there is still a lot to do as more and more C-27s come into the inventory.

"A concept like this will take time and effort, but most importantly it will also require feedback from the forces," Colonel Fowler said.

AMC and Air Force officials plan to continuously review and update the C-27J using input from field commanders until it is incorporated into joint doctrine.

A C-27J Spartan taxis on the ramp at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., during flight testing in early 2009. The Air Force plans to add 38 C-27Js to its inventory, which will be operated by the Air National Guard. (U.S. Air Force Photo)