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AF tapped to fly 300 Strykers to Afghanistan

The Army will be depending on the Air Force to deliver about 300 Stryker combat vehicles to Afghanistan, according to Air Force Gen. Duncan McNabb, the boss of U.S. Transportation Command.

McNabb told members of the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that airlifting the Strykers into Afghanistan was the only option because of their highly sophisticated gear and the threat to convoys moving goods by land across Pakistan.

A C-130 Hercules can hold one 19-ton Stryker, a C-17 Globemaster has room for four and a C-5 Galaxy can carry up to five, according to military and contractor fact sheets. Commercial cargo planes could carry some of the vehicles.

The Strykers ordered to be in Afghanistan by August are assigned to the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Lewis, Wash. The Army installation is adjacent to McChord Air Force Base, a West Coast hub for C-17 operations.

Air Force and commercial cargo planes were the primary way large MRAP vehicles — short for mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles — were delivered to Afghanistan last year.