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Tanker/AWACS/VIP/CRAF runway ops?
Hi A.net, I´m a bit unfamiliar with military aircraft operations but I know from previous threads regarding a 747-based military airlifter that military airlifters have to be high-winged and have the capability of operating from short and unpaved runways and require no ground equipment other than forklifts. But what about tankers, AWACS, VIP transports, and civilian contract aircraft? Because many tankers, AWACS, and VIP transports are based on commercial designs are they only restricted to long and well-prepared runways where ground equipment is available?
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- GalaxyFlyer
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Re: Tanker/AWACS/VIP/CRAF runway ops?
Some erroneous assumptions there. High wings do facilitate loading and unloading rolling stock, bulky, oversized pieces, but only tactical lifters use unprepared, not strategic ones. The only example of truly unprepared Ops was the IDF during the ‘73 war when they used El Al 747 to lift troops into the Sinai on a salt pan. Troops slide down slides, the throw slides overboard and departed with gear down. Desperate times.
C-5s never did unprepared operations, the C-17 rarely, the C-130 more normally. There’s a lot of concrete in the world now compared to 1970. When Clinton visited FRY, he flew on AF1, a C-17 with some provisions for security and communications. Planes are required to use “long” runways, just prepared surfaces with enough weight bearing capacity and length for the take-off weight. Civilian airliners have APUs and are self-sufficient for power, starting and environmental control, it’s just MHE that creates problems.
Tankers and AWACS need enough runway for their weights, light weight, not much. They always have bases to operate from with sufficient length. They just need fuel, don’t carry cargo.
C-5s never did unprepared operations, the C-17 rarely, the C-130 more normally. There’s a lot of concrete in the world now compared to 1970. When Clinton visited FRY, he flew on AF1, a C-17 with some provisions for security and communications. Planes are required to use “long” runways, just prepared surfaces with enough weight bearing capacity and length for the take-off weight. Civilian airliners have APUs and are self-sufficient for power, starting and environmental control, it’s just MHE that creates problems.
Tankers and AWACS need enough runway for their weights, light weight, not much. They always have bases to operate from with sufficient length. They just need fuel, don’t carry cargo.
Re: Tanker/AWACS/VIP/CRAF runway ops?
Well, if you really need tankers at unprepared airfields you can use converted tactical airlifters like the C-130. See for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Eagle_Claw
Same for VIP transport, though VIP's very rarely have the need to visit such locations.
Same for VIP transport, though VIP's very rarely have the need to visit such locations.
Re: Tanker/AWACS/VIP/CRAF runway ops?
GalaxyFlyer wrote:Some erroneous assumptions there. High wings do facilitate loading and unloading rolling stock, bulky, oversized pieces, but only tactical lifters use unprepared, not strategic ones. The only example of truly unprepared Ops was the IDF during the ‘73 war when they used El Al 747 to lift troops into the Sinai on a salt pan. Troops slide down slides, the throw slides overboard and departed with gear down. Desperate times.
C-5s never did unprepared operations, the C-17 rarely, the C-130 more normally. There’s a lot of concrete in the world now compared to 1970. When Clinton visited FRY, he flew on AF1, a C-17 with some provisions for security and communications. Planes are required to use “long” runways, just prepared surfaces with enough weight bearing capacity and length for the take-off weight. Civilian airliners have APUs and are self-sufficient for power, starting and environmental control, it’s just MHE that creates problems.
Tankers and AWACS need enough runway for their weights, light weight, not much. They always have bases to operate from with sufficient length. They just need fuel, don’t carry cargo.
So do tankers e.g. KC-135 and KC-10 only carry fuel and no cargo onboard?
Re: Tanker/AWACS/VIP/CRAF runway ops?
UA857 wrote:So do tankers e.g. KC-135 and KC-10 only carry fuel and no cargo onboard?
Not on the same flight, usually. All multirole tankers, that includes the KC-135 and KC-10, can take some cargo on the main deck and some, like the A330MRTT, even have a lower deck cargo hold.
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