Military transport planes are very important cargo aircraft. They are designed to transfer military equipment, ammunition and troops for quick deployments. This is very important for operational capabilities over larger geographic areas. Military transporters are, however, unarmed and this slightly lowers their usefulness in the case of an armed conflict.
Kawasaki C-2 military transport jet. Image credit: Hunini via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Take the Kawasaki C-2 as an example. This military cargo jet has been in service with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) since 2016. It is a mid-size twin-turbofan engine, a long-range cargo plane, capable of lifting up to 37.6 tonnes of weight. It cannot take tanks, but it can transport one-wheeled tank destroyer.
The C-2 is 43.9 metres in length and has a wingspan of 44.4 metres. JASDF operates just 14 of these planes and Japan is the only operator, although it is looking to export it to recoup some of the programme’s costs. The Kawasaki C-2, of course, is unarmed, but maybe it could be used to carry out attacks in the future?
It’s been reported that Japan is looking into launching cruise missiles from its transporters. In 2023, 3.6 billion yen or 25 million dollars were allocated for the project, while full-scale development should start by the beginning of 2024. These kinds of capabilities would expand the number of combat aircraft and make the C-2 useful even when there is no cargo to transport.
During the times of war, all air assets are important and their functions should be as universal as possible. The C-2 is not going to become a gunship, because it would be an easy target for potential enemies of Japan, but it can become a missile carrier of sorts. It’s not like this is even an original idea.
The American AGM-158 JASSM cruise missile can be launched from a Rapid Dragon missile system. It is basically a pallet that is loaded onto a military cargo transporter, such as the C-130 and the C-17. The unmodified transporter drops the Rapid Dragon system, it parachutes down for a bit and then deploys the cruise missile, which is pre-programmed to seek its target.
The Rapid Dragon missile system being loaded onto a C-130. Image credit: Staff Sgt. Brandon Esau via Wikimedia
The Rapid Dragon system doesn’t require any modifications of the plane – it is dropped like any other air-dropped cargo pallet. It is also highly configurable to have 6 or 9 tubes. One jet can carry 2-5 such pallets, turning military transporters into bombers. The cargo plane doesn’t even have to come close to the target, because missiles themselves can have a range of up to 1,900 km.
And Japan wants something similar. The JASDF is likely to use one of the already existing missiles. Maybe a version of the Type 12 missile – it is currently launched from ground, but the air-launched variant is being considered.
Japan is an island nation and cargo planes would be very important during times of war. Hopefully, they can be used for combat operations as well, expanding Japan’s means of defence.
Written by Povilas M.
Sources: Defence-ua.com, Wikipedia