[archy]

Now that the airfield has been secured, it's unlikely any cargo will be air dropped. This info. gives an idea of the capabilities, and to note: the info. is now several years old so the limitations are probably greater by now.

True of much of the materiel to be delivered, but not one particularly critical component of an Infantry or Cavalry unit's gear: the M3 Bradley. The Integrated Sight System of a Bradley won't withstand the stress of airdrops or LAPES delivery, so landings of any delivery aircraft will be required for them, at least. And neither would it be surprising if at least some of the aircraft ferrying troops and supplies need to land to refuel anyway.<p. -archy-/-

[freepersup]

Interesting fact about the Bradley. I wonder if there is an active design program working on fixing this weakness, so that it can be dropped in the future ?

An excerpt on the 173RD's jump from a recent news article-

The soldiers, mostly members of the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy, included rifle companies, platoons armed with mortars and anti- tank missiles, engineers for clearing mines, sniper teams, long-range surveillance teams, Air Force ground teams and humvees equipped with missiles and .50-caliber machine guns.

* I saw a vehicle on the news tonight, that looked like a lightweight version of a deuce and a half, that would have been air-dropped in with the 173RD.