Time Is Running Out For the C-17

[Randy Haskin]

The mess in the Balkans,

Actually from a military standpoint, NATO participation in ALLIED FORCE was more of a distraction than anything else. Individual targets had to be approved by EVERY member nation.

[bdk]

Boeing delivers 157th USAF C-17

Boeing delivered the fourth of 13 C-17 airlifters Tuesday to Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. The U.S. Air Force’s 157th C-17 arrived at its new home with Lt. Gen. Gary North at the controls. "This is a nice way to go to work," North told a group of Boeing employees in Long Beach, Calif., before flying the new aircraft to Travis.

As commander of the 9th Air Force and U.S. Central Command Air Forces at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., North is responsible for four Air Force wings with more than 350 aircraft and 24,000 active-duty and civilian personnel. He’s also responsible for conducting air operations in a 27-nation area, covering Central and Southwest Asia -- including Iraq and Afghanistan -- and the Horn of Africa.

North said every U.S. troop going to Iraq or Afghanistan gets there by military air, riding primarily in C-17s. "The C-17 is our troops’ lifeline," he said. "Every day, they land at high altitude, in the dirt, and provide daily rations of food, water, and ammunition."

North called the C-17 a "great airplane," and said the quality built in by Boeing employees will allow the Air Force to fly the aircraft with high reliability for many years to come. "We’ve been flying it on all types of missions, combat as well as humanitarian," said North. "The C-17 is our strategic airlifter of choice."

Travis will receive the remainder of its C-17s between now and summer 2007, with new C-17s arriving every three to four weeks. Used for both military and humanitarian missions, the C-17 is the world’s only tactical airlift aircraft with strategic capabilities.

Boeing is designing, building and delivering 180 U.S. Air Force C-17s on a multi-year contract that runs through 2008. The 10 new C-17s funded in the Fiscal Year 2007 U.S. defense bill, along with recently announced international C-17 orders and commitments, likely have extended the C-17 production line through the end of 2009.

[Originalboxcar]

FYI

DEFENSE TECH

Boeing Goes Begging ... Again

When the Air Force threatened last year to cap production of Boeing's C-17 airlifter, a major cash-cow, the company freaked out -- and wasted no time blackmailing Congress with the threat of lost jobs. (C-17 production employs 25,000 people in many states.)

The result? Last month Congress tacked another 10 of the $200-million C-17s onto the program, for a grand total of 191. Combined with foreign sales to England (5), Australia (4), Canada (4) and NATO (3-4), this keeps the Long Beach, Calif., C-17 plant humming until 2009.

But, already, Boeing is begging for more USAF orders, with an eye to sustaining C-17 production until the company can secure civil or more foreign orders, as reported in Aerospace Daily:

The next opportunity to secure more C-17s will occur in the second FY '07 supplemental, which is expected to be at least $40 billion if not more. Top defense officials are scheduled to finalize their request in November. Otherwise, industry representatives can try for more funds under regular FY '08 budgetmaking, which will be hammered out between the White House and the Pentagon by the end of the year.

Lawmakers forcing airplanes onto the military is not a new phenomenon -- nor is it always unwelcome. For decades, the Air Force has counted on Congressional add-ons to top off its Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules fleet. (Congress likes the C-130s because they keep a lot of people employed and because they're good state-level assets.) But with the C-17, the Air Force seems genuinely reluctant to divert too much cash to further production, as it's struggling to find money for the upcoming Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning, the new KC-X tanker and another long-range bomber.

But it's not that the Air Force doesn't need the C-17s. The fleet is too small as is, Aerospace Daily continues:

Onlookers suggest the Pentagon did not take into account the heightened need for airlift to support natural disasters, homeland security missions and perhaps of most concern, the Army's Future Combat System deployments. The Army's shift to a U.S.-based expeditionary force will allow it to use smaller vehicles and network-centric systems, but industry officials question whether the Pentagon has taken into account how this strategy will affect its need to have airlift at the ready to quickly react to situations around the globe.

It's proof of the bleak budget picture that the Air Force is resisting airplanes it truly needs for other airplanes it needs even worse.
-----------------------------------------------------

Regards,

t~

[bdk]

Aussie C-17 air-to-air photos:

http://www.defence.gov.au/media/downloa ... 061206.cfm

[bdk]

UK contracts with Boeing for sixth C-17 Globemaster III for Royal Air Force


The U.K. Ministry of Defence on Monday said it has contracted for a sixth C-17 Globemaster III airlifter.


Under the pact signed by the United Kingdom and Boeing, the C-17 will be delivered for service in summer 2008 and will join four other C-17s already stationed at the Royal Air Force base in Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.


A fifth C-17 previously purchased and scheduled for delivery in early 2008 will also be stationed at RAF Brize Norton.


Baroness Ann Taylor, U.K. minister for Defence Equipment and Support, said the country’s newest C-17 will significantly enhance the RAF’s ability to transport heavy equipment and supplies.


"The C-17 can carry the equivalent of three Warrior armored vehicles, 13 Land Rovers, one Chinook, or three Apache gunships, allowing us to get the right equipment to theatre rapidly," Taylor said in a written Defence Ministry statement.


"The C-17 is a versatile aircraft which provides vital support to our Armed Forces," Taylor added.


The RAF’s current fleet of C-17s already has proved significant worth to the United Kingdom through the airlifters’ ability to support U.K. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in providing humanitarian aid to victims of tsunamis in Southeast Asia and earthquakes in Pakistan, the ministry said.


Earlier this summer, Boeing workers and U.K. officials celebrated the major join of all the key fuselage components for the fifth U.K. C-17. Factory rollout is scheduled for this month, with first flight set for January. It is scheduled for delivery in February.


"This U.K. contract for a sixth C-17 once again shows the value the aircraft has to our international customers. Combined with commitments for C-17s by Australia and Canada, this demonstrates that the C-17 is the premier airlifter of choice around the world," said C-17 International Program Manager Tommy Dunehew.


Boeing and the United Kingdom signed the contract for the fifth C-17 in 2006. The country plans to purchase the four C-17 aircraft it originally acquired from Boeing on lease when that agreement expires in mid-2008.


The C-17 is the world’s only tactical airlift aircraft with strategic capabilities. It can fly between continents and land on short, minimally prepared airfields while doing the work of multiple airlifters. It is known as the most reliable, flexible and technologically advanced airlift aircraft ever built.

[RMAllnutt]

Interestingly, the RAF has allocated a total of ten serial numbers to C-17A's. ZZ171 - ZZ174 were the initial four aircraft leased; now to be bought. ZZ175 and ZZ176 are the most recent, and direct acquisition aircraft.

However, serials ZZ177 - ZZ180 have been reserved for C-17's too. I assume that this means the RAF plans on acquiring more. They certainly do need them in any case. One amazing bird!

Cheers,
Richard