Air Force Special Operations Command officials are eying a new fleet of small airlifters that could ferry small groups into nations where an obvious U.S. military presence might breed political problems for the host government, a senior AFSOC official says.

“We're researching the feasibility of using a lighter cargo aircraft” instead of larger airlifters currently in the AFSOC fleet, such as its MC-130s, Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Donny Wurster said recently.

“Some missions don't require the full capabilities of a MC-130,” he said. His comments came on Oct. 3 during an industry conference in Ft. Walton Beach, FL.

AFSOC sometimes will send small teams of personnel into a nation to assist a government with some kind of mission or for other clandestine tasks.

Though willing to accept help or training from U.S. special operators, that nation “might not want a C-130 with American markings sitting on the ramp for a few days,” Wurster told the conference.

AFSOC officials are still in the early phases of answering several key questions, including: whether they will eventually pursue a new airlifter acquisition program, how low-visibility airframes the outfit might need and what kind of plane the command should buy.

As for the latter question, Wurster mentioned only two early potential candidates.

“It may look like a [Joint Cargo Aircraft], it may look like a private jet,” Wurster said, noting the command has yet to finalize a list of requirements for the new plane.

The JCA is a conceptual medium-sized airlifter the Army and Air Force are expected to issue a contract for next spring.

Two platforms are still in the running for the multimillion-dollar JCA contract: the C-27J, developed by Alenia Aeronautica and L-3 Communications; and the C-295, being pitched by the Raytheon-EADS CASA North America group. Two other planes were recently dismissed from the competition, including a short version of the Lockheed Martin-made C-130J. The large J model is currently used by the Air Force; Lockheed is protesting the decision.

Though Wurster mentioned JCA -- or an airlifter that “looks” like it -- the fiscal year 2007 Defense Authorization and Appropriations acts offer significantly different funding plans for the dual-service program, creating some confusion about the direction of that effort. Some top officials have questioned whether the services' JCA accounts have ample funds to issue a contract next year.

As defense officials and lawmakers continue sorting through those questions, a listing of the command's aircraft fleet posted on its Web site shows only one plane smaller than its C-130s: the U-28A utility aircraft. The special ops outfit uses these aircraft for all kinds of personnel lift missions. The U-28A fleet “provides intratheater support for special operations forces,” according to an AFSOC fact sheet.

Switzerland-based Pilatus makes the U-28A, a version of the PC-12, a commercial airframe powered by a single turboprop engine.

The command has six U-28A aircraft, each costing $3.5 million, in its existing fleet, according to the fact sheet. AFSOC first deployed the plane in August 2005.

At press time (Oct. 19), AFSOC officials had not responded to a reporter's e-mail seeking additional information about the effort to determine whether a new low-visibility aircraft is needed.

Meantime, the AFSOC deputy commander also issued a warning about the future of the organization's aging helicopter fleet.

The command's MH-53M “Pave Low IV” fleet is slated to “depart the inventory” in 2008, Wurster noted. But at that time, the special operations outfit is only slated to have bought “a few” CV-22 Osprey tiltrotors, meaning “we have a lift issue” ahead, the two-star said bluntly.

The CV-22 is the Air Force-specific variant of the V-22, which can take off and land vertically then rotate its nascells to fly like an airplane. The Osprey is being built by Bell Helicopter Textron and Boeing.

The MH-53M is an upgraded version of the J model of that helicopter. The M variants have been modified with the “Interactive Defensive Avionics System/Multimission Advanced Tactical Terminal” system, according to a separate command fact sheet.

The MH-53s were first deployed in 1981 and are built by Sikorsky, according to AFSOC.