Army Secretary Francis Harvey told defense reporters in Washington Thursday morning that the services definitely need more cargo airplanes. He included in that assessment the new Army-Air Force Joint Cargo Aircraft program to produce “a son of a C-130,” but he emphasized the need for additional strategic airlift, specifically USAF’s C-17. “Remember that the C-17 is very key to the deployability of the Army’s [Future Combat System],” said Harvey, adding that “21st century conflicts require rapid deployability.”
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
