Turning Cargo Planes Into Flying Munitions Trucks Able To Unleash A Mass Of Standoff Weapons

A C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane sets off flares U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Zachary Wolf

Business Insider: The US Air Force is turning cargo planes into flying munitions trucks able to unleash a mass of standoff weapons

* The US Air Force has been experimenting with turning cargo and transport aircraft into munitions trucks able to drop large quantities of standoff weapons in bundles.
* The Air Force Research Laboratory revealed Wednesday that Air Force Special Operations Command dropped nearly half a dozen palletized munitions out of a MC-130J multi-mission combat transport/special operations tanker in January.
* The service has reportedly also conducted demonstration palletized munition drops with a C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft.
* The Air Force said in February in a request for information on palletized munitions, sometimes called a "bomb bay in a box," that "delivering standoff type weapons in mass, from non-traditional delivery platforms, is one potential option to deliver mass firepower and could prove pivotal in future conflicts."

The US Air Force has been experimenting with turning its cargo and transport planes into munitions trucks able to drop devastating bundles of standoff weaponry, the service has revealed.

The Air Force Research Laboratory said Wednesday that Air Force Special Operations Command successfully dropped simulated palletized munitions from a MC-130J Commando II multi-mission combat transport/special operations tanker in a test at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah in January.

The aircrew dropped five wooden pallets carrying six simulated munitions in three airdrops, ARFL said in a statement. The munitions pallets, also known as Combat Expendable Platforms, were deployed using a roller system.

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WNU Editor: The US Air Force has a lot of planes that can be made into "munitions trucks".