Yes, French possession of C-17s would have made a difference in Mali, but –
– They did have the use of a couple of C-17s, from the UK & Canada. They were valuable, flying large loads (e.g. vehicles) direct to Bamako.
– According to AdlA officers, the A400M would have made a huge difference to the Mali deployment. They have stated that an A400M could fly direct from France to airfields they captured in Mali, carrying loads that they had to send by sea & road, or fly to Bamako in jet freighters & break down to shuttle to the forward bases using Transalls or C-130s. I can’t remember the figures given, but they were impressive.
Remember that the A400M isn’t only designed for high fuel efficiency It can’t carry as much, as far, or as fast as a C-17, but it can carry a lot more, further, faster (closer to C-17 than C-130J cruise speed) than a C-130, & deliver it to runways you can’t get a C-17 into or out of. It’s pretty much designed for the sort of expeditionary warfare we just saw in Mali.
I think the future RAF fleet, with several C-17s & a larger number of A400M, will be an excellent mix. I wouldn’t mind seeing a few smaller aircraft as well, for small intra-theatre loads for which it would be a waste to use an A400M, but apart from that I can’t criticise it.
PS. France to Mali is inter-theatre. For intra-theatre, the C-17s were unsuitable, because most runways in Mali are too short & rough for them. The Transall is ideal for such work – and it’s what it was designed for. 80% (by weight) of the cargo of a C-130, about the same cargo box, in a lighter aircraft with half the number of engines – but sacrificing range & speed.
Thx for your contribution (and correcting my inter/intra theatre mispelling)
However we hve to put forward the capabilitiesVsPrices issue. What is the fly away cost of a fleet of A400 ( with limitted capabilities for now)?
How much wld be the supposed savings on fuel prices in a long term perspectives compare to a C17?
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