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Sustaining the IBCT by Air
It is likely that the IBCT would have to be sustained by air until sea lift can deliver supplies. These ships could be expected to arrive with 7 to 14 days of the IBCT deployment, depending on where the ships are in relation to where the IBCT is deployed.
Vehicles typically arrive with less than full loads of fuel and ammunition, and require immediate resupply, particularly if they are called upon to move via road to the battle area. The crews may or may not arrive on the same aircraft. Almost certainly, the fuel carriers of the IBCT, already close to the C-130 weight limit, would arrive empty.
Again, the USAF would likely be unwilling to risk the C-17 and other oversize cargo aircraft to forward operating airfields, so the cargo would have to be delivered to an airfield some distance away, then loaded onto C-130s for delivery to the brigade. If the situation permitted, the IBCT could, of course, supply itself from the more distant air head, as well as moving to the area of operations on its own.
Using figures from FM 101-10-1, the following rough estimate was developed for some critical weapons and fuel for a three day offensive operation:
| Weapon | Number Weapons | Packed Weight | Consumption (3 days of Offense/weapon) | Total Rounds | Total Weight |
| 105mm (tank) | 27 | 68.49 | 75 | 2025 | 138,692 |
| Javelin24 | 135 | 49.50 | 8 | 1080 | 53,460 |
| TOW | 12 | 87.00 | 16 | 192 | 16,704 |
| 155mm | 18 | 135.70 | 485 | 8730 | 1,184,661 |
| 120mm (mortar)25 | 30 | 29.20 | 156 | 4680 | 136,656 |
| Total | | 1,530,173 |
| Wheeled Brigade Fuel Requirement26 | | 119,118 |
| Tracked Brigade Fuel Requirement | | 149,250 |
| Table 3 Estimated IBCT Supply Consumption |
Assuming the C-130 can move 40,000 pounds of cargo, this would require 38 flights to resupply just major munitions. If the C-130 could be adapted to carry 13,280 gallons of fuel (the capacity of a KC-130) and to refuel tankers on the ground, it would take 11 flights over three days to resupply the IBCT with fuel. Thus, we can expect a minimum requirement of 18 aircraft per day to supply the IBCT. We have left out other supplies like small arms, food, water, replacements, and repair parts. This does not take into account the amount of support needed to be provided by C-17, C-5, KC-10, KC-135, and CRAF flights to deliver the supplies from CONUS.
Other challenges to be overcome would be clearing a safe zone for the vulnerable C-130 from ADA fires, guarding the airfield against air attack (meaning air defense units would have to be flown in), pushing enemy artillery out of range, and supplying fuel for the C-130 at the Forward Operating Base. All this would further exacerbate the supply situation, but could probably be sustained for the 7 to 14 days for the initial supplies to come in via sea. Of course, if the operation is inland, far from a sea port, other alternatives will have to be found to sustain this force.
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