Air Force Wants to Move Fast on Boat Plane for Special Operators

[Auggie]

4. Situations have changed (apparently), according to the link:

The military in recent years has, for example, become concerned about China's increasing activity in the South China Sea, and its creation of man-made islands there on which it has built military installations.

But a Commando that could land on water would be able to do a lot more to infiltrate troops, get them out, and recover trapped or wounded personnel, Lt. Col. Josh Trantham, AFSOC's deputy division chief for science, systems, technology and innovation, said in the release.

That will be even more important in a future war, which might result in situations where land forces, bases or equipment are endangered by the enemy, AFSOC said.

"Seaborne operations offer nearly unlimited water landing zones, providing significant flexibility for the joint force," Trantham said.

The MC-130J is used to fly secret missions, often at night and at low altitudes, to insert special operations forces into sensitive or hostile areas, get them out, or resupply them. It also can conduct aerial refueling operations.