| It appears that the C-130J production line will be kept open for a short time longer, but there have been mentions of other systems being procured; ideally, something a bit smaller and less expensive yet still maintaining a useful carrying capacity.
One of the prime candidates has been the C-27 Spartan, a C-130-engine-equipped G222 aircraft.
http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/spartan/
Another contender is the CN295, a stretched version of the EADS/CASA CN-235
http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/c295/
Another unofficial contender (a suggestion) could be in a soon-to-be-produced civil carrier, the American Utilicraft FF-1080-200.
http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/ff/
There is also a slightly-longer -300 model (additional 10feet), but certainly it can be expanded on a tad further.
It seems to offer an ideal carriage capacity (12,000-20,000 pounds) on standard civil pallets (anyone know how similar these are in size to military cargo pallets?), and a reasonable field performance (3000 feet.)
All 3 of these aircraft fall roughly in the same class/capabilities (with the C-27 having the superior cargo capacity/weight, and the CN295 having the best field performance). Question is, with the C-130J NOT being procured in the total numbers as was originally hoped, could any of these 3 aircraft be a suitable system for forward-based elements where C-5s and C-17s will not be authorized to operate from (and represent a lower-risk aircraft for more hostile zones needing resupply?)
The original claims for the C-17 suggested short field performance from dirt strips, but considering the white-glove cleanliness rules of the USAF, this will never be utilized (don't want to get their expensive aircraft too dirty.) Or perhaps it's because there are seldom useful support facilities for these larger airframes (don't want to risk it breaking down where there are no repair assets.)
All three of these light/medium transports would be well-suited to many nations' cargo needs. I'm curious to anyone's thoughts as to which would be more favorable (especially considering that in the US, the C-27 has Lockheed Martin's political clout backing it...)
These 3 aircraft are all perfect modern replacements for aging DHC Buffalo and Caribou type STOL transports, Fokker F27 freighters, and a number of other aging Russian-built twin turboprop transports.
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