orgASMic
LE
Exactly; our Herc fleet has been reduced to the point where it can only realistically do SF sp but it still gets tasked for routine Tac AT tasks because commanders demand them (see the opening days of Op RUMAN). They demand them because they either do not know Atlas can do routine ass&trash stuff or they do not trust Atlas to deliver. This puts pressure on both air and ground crew which further reduces availability. Combine that with the ever-increasing demand for C-17 and you can see why we are having to make Atlas work for us, much to the disapproval of the "let's blame our lack of availability on the aircraft" Germans (IHMO), who would love it to fail so they can get out of their contractual obligations.As I've always said, A400M will prove a useful strat and even Tac asset in some circumstances. However, I wonder if the para cross-over issues will ever be resolved, or that it will ever be an SF platform of choice. That rather leaves us in a quandary.
Regards,
MM
As an aside, have we decided on "Fat Lass" or "At Last" as a suitable nickname?