Notes: This is the base chassis of the E-2C Hawkeye naval AWACS aircraft. In this role, the aircraft is a cargo aircraft, the primary cargo aircraft of the US Navy and also operated by Israel, France, and Taiwan. Only Israeli versions were capable of aerial refueling, and none had ejection seats. There is a cargo ramp in the rear and two doors in each side behind the cockpit; the ramp may be opened in flight and was sometimes used for the deployment of SEAL and Marine Recon teams. They are capable of navigation across trackless spaces, but are hampered by a low speed. Their endurance is very long, with low fuel consumption. They were also known for their easy maintenance and the large amount of time that they were available for duty. The "Land" figures refer to operations totally from land bases, while the "Ship" figures are for if the Greyhound must take off, land, or both from a carrier.

Notes: The C-17A was designed to carry large, bulk items such as the M-1 Abrams main battle tank and AH-64 Apache helicopter. It is the only aircraft in the US inventory able to air drop large items such as the M-2 Bradley IFV or the M-8 Ridgeway AGS. The aircraft has a rear ramp and side doors for paratroopers. It is capable of aerial refueling, but does not have ejection seats. It was designed to replace the C-141 in the tactical transport role, but as production began shortly before the Twilight War, few actually came into service.

Notes: The C-21 and C-21A are is the military version of the Learjet 25/35. The US military uses these as VIP transports. The C-21A has increased range, at the expense of passenger capacity. The C-21 and C-21A do not have ejection seats and cannot be refueled in the air.

Notes: This old transport was first used in World War 2, and was also known as the DC-3, or Dakota in British service. It had a long and distinguished career in the service of many countries worldwide, and was a key to the success of the Allied forces in World War 2, delivering everything from cargo to paratroopers. It is still being used in Third World countries. Some of these relics have even been spotted flying in Europe and over the US.

Notes: This tactical assault transport had its genesis as a design for a heavy cargo glider during World War 2. The glider version proved to be impractical, but in 1949 engines were added to the design and it became a viable transport. The Provider proved to be too slow in the coming era of jet aircraft, and two small jet engines (under the wings or on the wingtips) were added to enable to keep up with escorting fighters and refuel those aircraft as well as carry more cargo. (This is the C-123K, below.) During the Vietnam War, these aircraft were common in the skies above Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos during their participation in Operation Ranch Hand, the spraying of Agent Orange. More were used as transports to forward areas due to their ability to land on the most primitive strips and fields. After the Provider's retirement from US service in 1979, many of the former Ranch Hand aircraft were modified by civil aviation for dumping water on forest fires, and some were operated by the CIA and civil aviation as transports.

Twilight 2000 Notes: By 2000, the only active military users were in the Far East, Southeast Asia, and South America, except for about 10 or so that were used by the Alaska Air National Guard during the latter stages of the war.

Notes: The C-130 is produced in a huge amount of variants, including cargo transport, weather reconnaissance, Antarctic transport, search and rescue, tanker, surveillance, maritime patrol, electronic warfare, command post, and bombardment (the C-130 is able to carry the 10-ton Daisy-Cutter FAE bomb). It has a large rear ramp and paratrooper doors on both sides near the rear. It is used throughout the world, including by the US, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, Honduras, Iran, Israel (these aircraft are often used to deliver commandos), Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Britain, and several countries in Africa and South America. It is also in use by many civilian agencies.

The C-130A is the original "blunt nose" version. It was superseded by the C-130B, with more powerful engines. The C-130E was probably the most exported version. The C-130H was probably the most produced. The C-130J is the current US standard model. The C-130J-30 is a stretched version, about a meter longer.

The MC-130 Combat Talon is basically a C-130 brought up to special operations standards. The MC-130E Combat Talon 1 is based on the C-130E; the MC-130H Combat Talon 2 is based on the C-130J. Improvements include a comprehensive ECM/IRCM suite with flare and chaff dispensers, an ability to navigate by GPS or inertial navigation, terrain-following radar (and the ability to conduct paving), equipment to extract skyhook-equipped ground forces, and the ability to conduct parachute and LAPES drops with greater precision and at higher speeds. From an altitude of over 9000 meters, a Combat Talon can locate and accurately drop cargo or troops into a drop zone little larger than a football field; from lower altitudes, greater feats are possible. Deviation during parachuting is half normal if a navigational fix is made before the jump, and such jumps may be made at 50% higher speeds. The cockpit gauges and controls show up well when the crew is wearing night vision goggles. The Combat Talon has a full-time electronic warfare officer to counter enemy detection attempts, and it was rumored that some Israeli and American Combat Talons carried antiradiation missiles or even Maverick missiles. One weapon known to be used by the Combat Talons was the massive 15,000-pound "Daisy Cutter" fuel-air explosive bomb. The Combat Talons do not have ejection seats, but are capable of aerial refueling.

Notes: This aircraft entered service in 1964 as the US Air Force's first all-jet transport. The main problem with its design is that the fuselage is very narrow, causing the interior space to be packed to its limits before the maximum cargo weight is reached. Wide vehicles and cargo often cannot be accommodated within its fuselage. This led to the stretched C-141B. The C-141 has a large ramp in the rear and paratrooper doors on both sides of the fuselage near the rear. It has no ejection seats, but the C-141B is capable on in-flight refueling. (The C-141A is not.)

Notes: This aircraft is a radical hybrid of helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft. The propellers and engines of the Osprey tilt 90º from their forward position, giving V/STOL performance. The Osprey is able to lift 2/3 it’s listed load in VTOL mode, and it’s full load with a short (150 m) takeoff run. The CV-22 version was added as an assault helicopter substitute by the US Marines in the early 1990s. No ejection seats are provided, but the Osprey is equipped for aerial refueling. The Osprey has two forward doors and a rear ramp, and can carry a slung load of up to 4500 kg at half it’s listed safe speed (in VTOL mode). The CV-22 version’s hardpoints normally carry drop tanks and Sidewinder missiles, and an optional 8000-liter flexible fuel bladder may be carried at the expense of cargo.

The HV-22 is the SARbird (Search And Rescue) version of the Osprey. The HV-22 has a large internal fuel tank, which accounts for the higher fuel capacity. The HV-22 also has a rescue winch (capacity 300 kg) on its front left door. The HV-22 retains the CV-22s armament, for use in rescues in hostile areas, and can also carry a smaller flexible fuel bladder (4000-liter) at the expense of cargo. The HV-22 has no ejection seats, but may be refueled in the air and may conduct buddy refueling.

The MV-22 Pave Hammer is the special operations version of the Osprey, flown by the US Navy, Marines, and Air Force. In this role, the Osprey is heavily modified with extra armament, fuel, and electronics. The MV-22 has an electronics suite similar to the MH-53H Pave Low, and shares its terrain-following capability, though Paving in an Osprey is only a Difficult: Pilot task. The MV-22 can carry almost anything on its hardpoints, and in addition may carry a large flexible fuel bladder in its cargo bay (1775 liters), at the expense of cargo. The MV-22 may conduct in-flight refueling and buddy refueling, but has no ejection seats.

The V-22 program has been plagued by repeated crashes; it has seemingly been in development forever. It was recently killed by the DoD, but there are periodic attempts to resurrect the program, and appears that now the V-22 (at least in its basic cargo version, the CV-22) is going to be deployed early in 2007. The Notes above and the stats below are estimates for versions that actually work, something that may or may not come to pass.