What the CBO really likes is prepositioned ships, loaded with equipment. The drawbacks there, of course, include having the wrong equipment for the fight, not having adequate port facilities to offload the equipment, or needing to get into a land-locked country.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.