This is a recurring concept for several decades: The Bomb Truck. Concretely, it would be a poorly protected or maneuverable device, but capable of carrying a very large quantity of air-to-ground munitions and remaining on station for a long time, so as to be able to deliver multiple attacks on demand. for the benefit of ground forces. This is precisely what General Timothy Ray, in charge of global strikes within the US Air Force, has just asked again from Will Roper, the director of acquisitions for aeronautical programs.
Over the years, many “Bomb Truck” solutions have been discussed, ranging from the F15 Eagle to the Boeing 737 MMA serving as the basis for the P8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. With the arrival of stand-off ammunition, which can be fired "at a safe distance" and travel the distance separating it from the target on its own and hit it with precision, it seems that this concept is emerging again. But General Ray wanted to clarify his thoughts. According to him, a “bomb truck” must meet several requirements, in terms of carrying capacity and autonomy, obviously, but also in terms of cost and lifespan, the device must be very economical to purchase and use, and only have a limited lifespan of around ten years.
We understand in this expression of needs that the American general seeks above all to have effective equipment in low-intensity engagements, where the anti-aircraft threat is still limited (for the moment), and which suffer the most , today, carrying limitations and the vulnerability of MALE dronesand of cancellation of the light attack aircraft program. Thus, a few devices of this type, carrying a large load of air-to-ground missiles and hovering guided bombs, like the JDAM, would be likely to ensure operational permanence over sensitive areas, whether in Afghanistan, Iraq or in the South-Saharan zone, with a significant permanent engagement capacity in almost the entire theater, at costs much lower than those consisting of maintaining drones, by definition slow and weakly armed, or combat aircraft, at prohibitive costs . Like the AWACS, 4 aircraft would be enough to ensure temporary operational permanence, and 6 to 7 aircraft to ensure sustained permanence over time, capable of providing fire support at all times to all the forces that would use it. Requirement.
In fact, with around twenty aircraft, the US Air Force could cover the 3 low-intensity hot engagement zones in which it is currently engaged. Additionally, maintenance efforts would also be reduced, especially if the aircraft in question is based on a commercial model, such as a converted airliner, capable of operating from a secure remote base.
While it is obvious that this type of aircraft would have no place above high-intensity theaters, due to the anti-aircraft systems whose range greatly exceeds that of air-to-ground munitions, and the possible presence of opposing combat aircraft, in extended theaters such as the Sahel, they would bring decisive added value to the Western forces engaged, by being capable of responding quickly to requests from European, American or allied forces present on site. This would significantly reduce the effectiveness of the ambushes which caused so many victims in recent years. In fact, the concept developed by General Ray could just as easily be applied to French or even European forces, especially since the Europeans, like the Americans, have at their disposal an aircraft manufacturer capable of responding quickly, in in this case Airbus.
But the problem can be approached from a different angle: reduce the size of ammunitions, not increase the size of the plane. This is the axis chosen by the European missile maker MBDA with its Smartglider, a light glide guided bomb that can hit targets over 100 km away, and can be carried in large numbers by a combat aircraft. Thanks to in-flight refueling, a modern fighter, like the Rafale, can stay above its objective for several hours, and carry 18 of these light bombs, as well as 2 2000 l cans, 2 MICA IR and 2 Meteor missiles. .
Regardless, it will be interesting to observe Will Roper's response to this new request, as the latter wants to return to more restricted and more specialized management of combat aircraft programs. In this sense, such a program would fit perfectly into the latter's Agile analysis grid, all the technological bricks being already available, the need and the purpose being perfectly identified.
