The C-5 Galaxy can transport 127 tons and land at normal airports with at least one order of magnitude lower per kg prices. A C-17 can transport 77 tons. More importantly they can actually unload their cargo once they land. A Starship would need either special facilities or an as-yet undersigned integral crane to unload cargo.
I remember reading that that use case doesn’t really exist, especially for the US military. Stuff they need a lot of, they pre-stage, and an airborne invasion requires massive logistics, including the entire follow on ground invasion. It’s not just a matter of getting the paratroopers there quickly.
Pretty much the only airborne assaults considered still viable are airfield seizures. There is quite a bit of risk from ferrying troops to the drop zone and the time they are in the air (under canopies after exiting the aircraft). So, if the assault force can basically come "out of nowhere" and be on the ground in seconds rather than minutes, then much of the risk is reduced. Logistics can be brought in to the seized airfield in short order once secured.
I could see potential US Army interest in this concept. I think they would want the Starship to land horizontal rather than vertical for rapid disembarking though. I.e.: A ramp drops from the nose cone or similar. That doesn't seem very feasible.
While that's a good point, there are some situations they can't really pre-stage in without that in itself causing serious problems. Taiwan springs to mind.
So if some magical way is developed to have Starship land and offload it's entire cargo in <super short time>, before it's shot out of the sky, I wonder if that would be useful. Perhaps even as part of an effective deterrent strategy?
