<p>While a plethora of aircraft types provide staff transport and liaison (C-12, C-20, C-21, CT-43), the bulk of the transport effort is handled by three Lockheed products. The C-130 is the standard in-theater transport, blessed with short- and rough-field capability. It is also used on longer-range work when required, augmenting the main fleet of C-5 Galaxies and C-141 StarLifters. KC-135 and KC-10 tankers also have an additional transport role.
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<p>Re-equipment for the transport fleet centers on the McDonnell Douglas C-17 intra-theater airlifter, intended to replace the elderly StarLifter. This was originally to have featured rough-field capability to allow the delivery of matériel directly into the battlefield, but this has been deleted on cost-saving grounds. However, the C-17 is a considerable improvement on the C-141, being able to operate into far more airfields on account of its much better performance and exceptional ground maneuverability. Even with the C-17 in service, the US Air Force will have to rely on a C-130-class aircraft to move supplies into forward positions. The Hercules itself is an old design, but one which is still capable of performing more than adequately in its role. In the future a replacement may be sought, but an update of the existing design seems more likely.
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<p>Other transport types include the C-27 Spartan, which is a STOL airlifter used primarily in central America, and the C-9 Nightingale, a specialist air ambulance.
