Advanced Medium STOL Transport

The Advanced Medium STOL Transport (AMST) project was intended to replace the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport in USAF service with a new aircraft with improved STOL and cruise performance. Upgrades to the basic C-130 design closed most of the performance gap, and the AMST project was cancelled.

History

The Advanced Medium STOL Transport project arose from a USAF requirement released in 1968. The official RFP was issued in 1972, asking for a C-130-class aircraft with short take-off and landing capability. This included operating from a 2,000 feet semi-prepared field with a 400 nmi radius with a 27,000 lb payload.Norton 2001, pp. 5-7.] The C-130 of that era required about 4,000 ft for this load.

Five companies submitted designs at this stage of the competition. On 10 November 1972 the downselect was carried out, and Boeing and McDonnell Douglas won development contracts for two prototypes each. This resulted in the YC-14 and YC-15, respectively.Kennedy 2004, pp. 8-11.]

Both the YC-14 and YC-15 both generally met the specifications of the contest, the increasing importance of the strategic vs. tactical mission eventually led the Air Force to conclude that they were better off with an updated C-130. The AMST program was canceled in 1979. In January 1979, the C-X Task Force formed to develop the required strategic aircraft. The C-X enlarged and upgraded the YC-15 to eventually became the C-17 Globemaster III.

References

* Kennedy, Betty R. "Globemaster III: Acquiring the C-17", Air Mobility Command Office of History, 2004.
* Norton, Bill. "Boeing C-17 Globemaster III", Specialty Press, 2001. ISBN 1-58007-061-2.

External links

* [http://web.archive.org/web/20060514144437/http://www.edwards.af.mil/moments/docs_html/75-08-26.html Edwards AFB: A Pair of Most Unusual Transports] (Internet Archive)
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/amst.htm History of the AMST project on GlobalSecurity.org]
* [http://www.theaviationzone.com/factsheets/amst.asp AMST Prototypes: Boeing YC-14 and McDonnell Douglas YC-15 on theaviationzone.com]