Warbird Information Exchange

http://skyliner-aviation.de/viewphoto.main?LC=nav2&picid=5899

A7-MAB (cn F-209) The second C-17A destined for the Qatar Emiri Air Force is captured just after emerging from the paint shop at Long Beach wearing this awesome livery, the first C-17A to ever to sport an airline livery.

I don't understand...has this been converted into an airliner then? If so, I didn't know the U.S. military sold their modern day transports to foreign countries for use in the civilian world.

Gary

Not FAA certified. Not an airliner. Sold by Boeing, not the USAF.

Interesting. So is it going to be used for private cargo hauling then?

Gary

The Loadmasters haven't started their training yet. We're running them through our school but they are having "language difficulties" from what I was led to understand.

Brad, are they going to bring the plane to Altus to train, or are they using USAF equipment?

Gary

They are gonna train on our stuff. They have to go through boeing training like everybody else. The only difference should be the access to some of the classified stuff but most of the other foreigners we train don't get to see that stuff either. The Brits, Canadians and Aussies are the exceptions. Rest of the NATO and UN guys are restricted on some things.

Wow. This is just really odd to me. I thought there were some kind of restrictions in place for manufacturers to not be able to sell stuff like the C-17 to civilians. I mean, the Russians do it all the time, but I didn't realize we did it too.

I reckon, as with most things, I just don't know squat about the military and the restrictions for manufacturers.

Thanks for the info.

Gary

Gary, this is going to the Qatar Emiri Air Force, so it is military. I've not been able to find why the plane is painted like that, but considering they probably don't intend to fly it on combat missions, they probably figured it'd be cooler to show it off. It will have a "sister", so it will be interesting to see what it looks like.

They have also ordered 4 C-130J-30's from Lockheed.

As for the civilian registration is something that isn't 100% uncommon in the Middle East and Africa. I've never fully understood it, but the Algerians, Egyptians, and Syrians do it on their transports as well. I guess it just simplifies things.

Finally, while Boeing sold the plane, as with almost all FMS (Foreign Military Sales), this aircraft is assigned a US DOD serial number, USAF 08-0201 in this case.

Interestingly, NATO took delivery of their first of 2 C-17s a couple of weeks ago - http://www.air-attack.com/MIL/c17/c17_nato_20090716.jpg

Didn't know all of that. Thanks for the info.

Gary

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, Boeing did have a civilianized version of the C-17 on the market for quite some time - the BC-17 (originally called the MD-17 when it was still a MacDac product). The DoD signed off on the program and some modifications were made for the intended market to make sure it was 100% in compliance.

retroaviation wrote:Didn't know all of that. Thanks for the info.

Gary

Most of it I found out when the Algerians showed up in Denver back in 2002 to pick up "supplies". The stuff on the Qatar Air Force I just found out when I read this thread and then went to look it up on aerotransport.org (my favorite airline following site which also tracks some militaries as well).

Hi,

Thanks for posting.
I'm very interesting by the Globemaster III, it's a great aircraft.

The NATO by the SAC will receive 3 C-17. They are identical to USAF and RAF plane and base on Hungary.

Cheers
SPang

McDonnell Douglas Corp., Long Beach, Calif., was awarded a $64,400,000 modified contract to the C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership contract to incorporate the sustainment support for two Qatar Emiri Air Force C-17 aircraft for FY09-11. At this time, $6,678,700 has been obligated. MSWE/516 AESG/PK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio is the contracting activity (FA8614-04-V-2004).

This was paid by the USAF as foreign military sales.