C-17 Globemaster III
Strategic Airlift Transport Aircraft
After receiving the last orders from the US, UK and Australia, due for
delivery in the next few years, Boeing is
preparing to shut down
production by 2009. The company is pressing the U.S. Government to
commit to continued C-17 procurement to sustain future production. As
these commitments did not come, Boeing alerted its suppliers to stop
working on uncommitted airplanes.
According to the company, Boeing kept the production line "live" for
several years, anticipating further orders as it expected the U.S.
Government to update its mobility requirements after 9/11 and the
Afghanistan and Iraq wars. In this period Boeing did receive
international orders and commitments for more than a dozen of the
advanced air lifters, enough to support production through 2009. "The
C-17 is one of the Defense Department's most successful acquisition
programs ever," said Ron Marcotte, vice president and general manager of
Boeing Global Mobility Systems. "No one questions its operational value.
But we can't continue carrying the program without additional orders
from the U.S. Government." The stop-work orders affect long-lead items
from suppliers that, in many cases, are built 34 months before a C-17 is
delivered. The decision will ultimately affect the 5,500 Boeing jobs in
California, Missouri, Georgia, and Arizona, directly tied to the C-17,
and the program's nationwide supplier workforce that totals more than
25,000 people. Nearly 700 companies in 42 states provide parts and
services that go into each C-17.
The US Air Force reduced its C-17 Globemaster III procurement from 222
to 180. Britain has four and will get an additional aircraft. Australia
and Canada are buying four aircraft each. Three additional aircraft are
planned for procurement to compensate for attrition, but these are not
yet committed. The US Congress and Senate have allocated funding to buy
42 additional aircraft, bringing the total fleet to 222, as previously
planned but the US. Air Force is not pursuing the acquisition.
NATO Plans Strategic Airlift Capability Based on
C-17s
Following six months of negotiations, NATO released an official Letter
of Intent (LOI) endorsed by 13 NATO Allies, to launch contract
negotiations for the purchase of C-17 transport aircraft. NATO
Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA) has begun negotiations with
Boeing. The SAC planes will be configured in the same way as the C-17s
flown by the US Air Force and the UK Royal Air Force The air crews will
be trained to the same basic standards, including air-to-air refueling
and night vision operations.
NATO is planning to establish a "Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC)”
based at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. The force will initially
comprised of 3 to 4 C-17s, flown by multinational aircrews (pilots and
loadmasters). Membership in the airlift fleet remains open to other
nations, and some additional nations are considering joining. A
multinational military structure will be created to command and control
the aircraft. The first C-17 is scheduled to be delivered by the middle
or end of 2007. Additional planes will be delivered every six months,
reaching an initial operating capability by 3rd Quarter, 2007 and full
operating capability in 2009. NATO is already operating the SALIS
(Strategic Airlift Interim Solution) arrangement, utilizing chartered
An-124 aircraft. |
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