American Galaxylifter image - M.P

The V-88 Galaxylifter exemplifies the doctrinal shift of the US Armed Forces in the aftermath of the Global War on Terror. No longer reliant on a complicated network of world-spanning alliances and permanent overseas bases, US troops now enter any theatre of conflict in a massive, strategic-scale airlift, typically onboard one of these giants of the sky.

Propelled by four contra-rotating high-speed propellers mounted on pivoting wing pylons, the Galaxylifter can operate as both a runway-bound aircraft and a VTOL, being the largest and heaviest aircraft of the latter category as well as one of the largest aircraft in aviation history, period. Even the heaviest tanks and self-propelled artilleries of the US Army can be carried by it in platoon-sized elements, fully equipped and practically ready to roll right into combat upon debarkation onto a Heavy Landing Zone.

Critics have pointed out that this reliance on airborne logistics could leave US forces vulnerable in a peer-level conflict but proponents of the new doctrine, which is indeed more air-centric than ever, point to simulations that suggest that even the Chinese air forces would break in most match-ups against the US Air Force, Navy and Space Force combined. Whether the correctness of these assessments will ever be put to the test remains to be seen.

It is important to note however that the Galaxylifter is not only a symbol of America's newfound military confidence after the Global War on Terror and ensuing years of crisis - It also played a prominent role in humanitarian relief operations. Practically every tornado or hurricane season in the US involves the rapid deployment of supplies and rescue machines by Galaxylifters, as did the aftermath of several major earthquakes around the Caribbean and the Pacific. Outside the US military, a small number of V-88s are also in use by private logistics and space companies, as well as NASA.