The new leader of Air Mobility Command has called for more C-17s, more C-130s, and upgrades to the C-5 fleet. Gen. Duncan McNabb also believes AMC needs a joint light cargo aircraft to move the Army’s intra-theater cargo more efficiently. In his view, “One size doesn’t fit all.” McNabb, in his first major speech since taking charge of AMC, told attendees at the Airlift/Tanker Association convention in Nashville, Tenn., that the command needs to develop defensive systems for all its aircraft to be able to “put the best asset against the mission.” Right now in Southwest Asia, said McNabb, AMC sometimes has to use an aircraft inappropriate to the mission because it is the only one that can “keep people safe.”
The U.S. strike on Iran's nuclear development facilities saw the first use of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, a weapon specifically designed for such a mission more than 20 years ago. The Air Force B-2s were the only platform with the stealth and carrying capacity needed to haul the huge…