An artist's impression of an MC-130J Commando II with floats attached. An amphibious version of the special mission aircraft would have a special utility in the Indo-Pacific region, operating independently of airfields and runways. (AFSOC)

The US Air Force (USAF) Special Operations Command (AFSOC) plans to perform an operational capability demonstration of an amphibious Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft “in only 17 months”, it disclosed on 14 September.

AFSOC said that the MC-130J Commando II Amphibious Capability (MAC) floatplane version of the Hercules that it first revealed at the virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in May is currently in a five-phase development plan ahead of a demonstration.According to the command, this will de-risk the concept for a future potential programme of record that could field the MAC for MC-130Js, but also potentially for other C-130 variants with only minor variations.

An artist's impression of an MC-130J Commando II with floats attached. An amphibious version of the special mission aircraft would have a special utility in the Indo-Pacific region, operating independently of airfields and runways. (AFSOC)

The US Air Force (USAF) Special Operations Command (AFSOC) plans to perform an operational capability demonstration of an amphibious Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft “in only 17 months”, it disclosed on 14 September.

AFSOC said that the MC-130J Commando II Amphibious Capability (MAC) floatplane version of the Hercules that it first revealed at the virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in May is currently in a five-phase development plan ahead of a demonstration.According to the command, this will de-risk the concept for a future potential programme of record that could field the MAC for MC-130Js, but also potentially for other C-130 variants with only minor variations.

An artist's impression of an MC-130J Commando II with floats attached. An amphibious version of the special mission aircraft would have a special utility in the Indo-Pacific region, operating independently of airfields and runways. (AFSOC)

The US Air Force (USAF) Special Operations Command (AFSOC) plans to perform an operational capability demonstration of an amphibious Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft “in only 17 months”, it disclosed on 14 September.

AFSOC said that the MC-130J Commando II Amphibious Capability (MAC) floatplane version of the Hercules that it first revealed at the virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in May is currently in a five-phase development plan ahead of a demonstration.According to the command, this will de-risk the concept for a future potential programme of record that could field the MAC for MC-130Js, but also potentially for other C-130 variants with only minor variations.

An artist's impression of an MC-130J Commando II with floats attached. An amphibious version of the special mission aircraft would have a special utility in the Indo-Pacific region, operating independently of airfields and runways. (AFSOC)

The US Air Force (USAF) Special Operations Command (AFSOC) plans to perform an operational capability demonstration of an amphibious Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft “in only 17 months”, it disclosed on 14 September.

AFSOC said that the MC-130J Commando II Amphibious Capability (MAC) floatplane version of the Hercules that it first revealed at the virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in May is currently in a five-phase development plan ahead of a demonstration.According to the command, this will de-risk the concept for a future potential programme of record that could field the MAC for MC-130Js, but also potentially for other C-130 variants with only minor variations.

An artist's impression of an MC-130J Commando II with floats attached. An amphibious version of the special mission aircraft would have a special utility in the Indo-Pacific region, operating independently of airfields and runways. (AFSOC)

The US Air Force (USAF) Special Operations Command (AFSOC) plans to perform an operational capability demonstration of an amphibious Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft “in only 17 months”, it disclosed on 14 September.

AFSOC said that the MC-130J Commando II Amphibious Capability (MAC) floatplane version of the Hercules that it first revealed at the virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in May is currently in a five-phase development plan ahead of a demonstration.According to the command, this will de-risk the concept for a future potential programme of record that could field the MAC for MC-130Js, but also potentially for other C-130 variants with only minor variations.

An artist's impression of an MC-130J Commando II with floats attached. An amphibious version of the special mission aircraft would have a special utility in the Indo-Pacific region, operating independently of airfields and runways. (AFSOC)

The US Air Force (USAF) Special Operations Command (AFSOC) plans to perform an operational capability demonstration of an amphibious Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II special mission aircraft “in only 17 months”, it disclosed on 14 September.

AFSOC said that the MC-130J Commando II Amphibious Capability (MAC) floatplane version of the Hercules that it first revealed at the virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) in May is currently in a five-phase development plan ahead of a demonstration.According to the command, this will de-risk the concept for a future potential programme of record that could field the MAC for MC-130Js, but also potentially for other C-130 variants with only minor variations.