Much of Asia's military air transport is still being upgraded and capacity is still inadequate. Without doubt, most of the armed forces are plagued with the ever-increasing pressures upon national defence budgets and, in some cases, the cutbacks imposed upon them by other priorities, have meant that military transport capability has not kept abreast with the advances in technology and development in the military equipment pool. Of the more than a few hundred military transport aircraft that equip the Asia's air forces, the majority consists of the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules while some even still utilise the Vietnam War-era de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou. Many of these aircraft are more than 30 years old and need replacing immediately. Production of both the smaller Transall and Caribou ended years ago, and their roles are increasingly being replaced by the CN-235 and the C-27J Spartan.
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