In the United States, MC-130J Commando II transport aircraft equipped with missiles
According to the American columnist Joseph Trevithick, although the missiles were not actually launched, the US Air Force was able to study the features of using the MC-130J as an aircraft capable of transporting and dropping not only personnel, but also carrying missiles on board.
Northern Edge exercises are held every two years. This year, the US Air Force announced them only on June 4, 2021. Testing the aircraft's advanced capabilities, as noted by Dean Evans, Rapid Dragon Program Manager at the Office of Strategic Planning and Experiments at the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), allows for additional capabilities to be explored during intense combat.
Earlier, the US Air Force has already conducted several experiments to drop simulated ammunition from the MC-130J and C-17A Globemaster III as part of a program now called Rapid Dragon.
During the last demonstration at the Northern Edge exercise in 2021, the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFOSC) equipped the MC-130J with a special payload simulator. While in the air, the plane received information about the drop point weapons via an out-of-line data link from the Standoff Ammunition Application Center (SMAC).
But as part of the demo scenario, an external sensor identified a new target and transmitted the information to the command post. Further, the missiles were re-aimed at a new target.
According to Joseph Trevithick, the Rapid Dragon concept itself provides for the use of transport aircraft as "missile trucks", which allows to increase the power of operating armed units during potential high-tech operations against potential adversaries - China and Russia. Also, writes the observer, the new feature allows for a cheaper option for launching missiles, compared to buying traditional bombers.
This could allow a variety of airborne aircraft to deploy a range of weapons en masse via an autonomous roll-down and roll-back pallet system, and could also offer the Air Force an alternative way to increase the weight of the aircraft.
- emphasized Dr. Evans.
Until recently, Trevithick writes, until recently, the US Air Force mainly conducted tests as part of the Rapid Dragon program in order to launch missiles from the battle-proven JASSM family. But this program may well be adapted to other ammunition, as well as other types of payload. It is known that one of the tests involved testing a special pallet loaded with a Cargo Launch Expendable Air Vehicles with Extended Range, or CLEAVER.
At the same time, Trevithick emphasizes, in order to prove the real viability of the Rapid Dragon concept, the US Air Force will have to answer questions about how it will be able to correlate operational requirements for air transportation with requests for additional strike capacity during a real conflict. For example, now the American army is experiencing a certain shortage of air traffic, and in a real conflict, it can significantly increase.
Accordingly, the military will have a choice: either to drop ammunition, or to transport personnel. How will they answer this question? While this is not very clear, but the fact remains: the Rapid Dragon concept, which Trevithick writes about, turns into a real combat opportunity.
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