The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) is considering the design and development of an amphibious MC-130 aircraft to support operational requirements in the age of 'great power competition, service officials have disclosed.Addressing delegates at the virtual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference (SOFIC) on 19 May, the programme executive officer for fixed-wing aircraft at USSOCOM, Colonel Ken Kuebler, suggested the MC-130 Amphibious Capability (MAC) concept could allow the aircraft to "land and take off" from land and sea during the same mission.Col Kuebler was unable to provide Janes with a projected timeline for the effort. However, USSO-COM's Fixed Wing Technology Insertion Road map, which was illustrated at the event, referred to a 2022-25 timeframe for the MAC.Lockheed Martin's MC-130 Commando Ⅱ aircraft is operated by the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and tasked with "clandestine, or low-visibility, single or multiship, low-level infiltration, exfiltration, and resupply of special operations forces". According to AFSOC documents, the aircraft is ideally suited to operating in "politically sensitive or hostile territories".
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