U.S. Air Force Orders 15 Boeing C-17s

U.S. Air Force Orders 15 Boeing C-17s

(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - February 7, 2009: The U.S. Air Force has ordered 15 C-17 military transport planes from U.S. manufacturer Boeing valued at $2.9 billion, the Pentagon announced Feb. 6. "The Air Force is awarding a firm fixed price contract to McDonnell Douglas Corporation of Long Beach, California, for an amount not to exceed $2.95 billion ... for the procurement of 15 C-17 aircraft," the Department of Defense said in a statement.

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large American airlifter manufactured by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. The C-17 is operated by the United States Air Force, the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the Canadian Forces, while NATO and Qatar have placed orders for the airlifter. The contract revives the fortunes of the C-17, the heart of the U.S. Air Force's fleet of long-range transport planes. Boeing had been on the verge of scrapping C-17 production in 2006 when orders for the plane dried up.