Originally Posted by
Fareastdriver
Strange that it was ditched at the same time as the C130 purchase.
Wasn't it ditched by the Labour government at the same time as TSR2 and other projects?
A few years laters, the USAF wanted a C130 replacement and the YC15 prototype was built (2 aircraft). Looking very similar in configuration to the '681, it demonstrated excellent STOL operations at Farnborough in 1976, then the USAF apparently decided the best thing to replace the C130 was another C130 so the YC15 never made it into production, instead the plans were dusted off and enlarged when the C17 was produced.