Mixed punch from the air: OCOs (overseas contingency operations: Obama-speak for foreign wars) have highlighted some shortcomings in the aerospace assets available to special forces, but future scenarios are generating ever grater challenges.

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Mixed punch from the air: OCOs (overseas contingency operations: Obama-speak for foreign wars) have highlighted some shortcomings in the aerospace assets available to special forces, but future scenarios are generating ever grater challenges.

America and its allies may now reasonably hope to see some form of peace return to Iraq, and insurgency in Afghanistan eventually decline to a tolerable level. Southwest Asia will nonetheless remain an area of special concern, due (inter alia) to the possibility of an extremist faction gaining control of nuclear-armed Pakistan, and of regime-change in Saudi Arabia, which has a quarter of the world's oil reserves. In addition, like North Korea in the east, Iran may develop nuclear-armed ballistic missiles.

Any of these scenarios could pose serious problems for US special forces, as could a 'symmetric' war with another major power. Several could demand actions by special units at very long distance from friendly bases, to terminate key personnel, disable nuclear devices, disrupt communications and computer networks and locate mobile missile launchers.

Stealthy Penetration

The development of a stealthy transport aircraft (M-X) for Afsoc (US Air Force Special Operations Command) is motivated by the acquisition of highly effective networked air-defence systems by countries that could at some stage threaten Western interests. It is being argued that the M-X must be available soon, with service introduction by 2020 at the latest.

This M-X is envisaged as having a comparatively limited payload of around 8000 kg, compared to the 11,500 kg maximum for the Alenia Aeronautica C-27J tactical transport. The M-X figure may indicate designing to accommodate up to 64 personnel.

A study of possible Asian scenarios suggests that the M-X should ideally have a semi-strategic range of around 8500 km, compared to the 5000 km quoted by the US Air Force for Lockheed Martin's MC-130H. This would allow it to penetrate up to 3500 km into hostile territory from a refuelling point 5...

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