*Analysis: If U.S. need to project power any place in the world and have the backup U.S. need, the C-17 is essential ... It's not a cliche. This would be a big issue if this plane was (built) someplace else. (DTN Defense-Technology News)
(NSI News Source Info) May 10, 2009: Boeing workers in Long Beach received a flurry of positive news Tuesday as word came down that Congress had tentatively approved an order for eight additional C-17 cargo planes for the U.S. military. 
The C-17 is operated by the US 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 $2.2-billion deal, which was slipped into a larger war spending bill and needs final approval by the full House and Senate, comes as Boeing officials confirm they are in talks with the United Arab Emirates to purchase as many as four C-17s for humanitarian purposes in the Middle East.
Together, the orders could extend the C-17 production line well into 2011 - protecting as many as 5,000 jobs in Long Beach and preventing the closure of California's last major aircraft production facility.
Boeing has said it would shut down the C-17 plant on Lakewood Boulevard by late 2010 if no new orders were made.
"Interest in the C-17 has always been strong in the U.S., but now we're seeing a lot of interest from other areas of the world where they've seen how well the plane holds up," said Boeing C-17 spokesman Jerry Drelling. "It's by far proven itself as the world's best heavy-lift aircraft."
Also Tuesday, the Department of Defense formalized a previously announced $400 million deal for two C-17s bound for use by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Strategic Airlift Command.
Those aircraft are being produced by Boeing's 5,000-member work force in Long Beach, with delivery of the planes scheduled for July and September.
NATO may purchase a third aircraft this year as well, Drelling said.
Congressional approval is required for such purposes.
As for the potential eight new planes, the House Appropriations Committee is set to review the proposal on Thursday as part of its examination of the Fiscal Year 2009 budget.
The order comes despite Defense Secretary Robert Gates' insistence on ending orders for more C-17s beyond the 205 already ordered through 2010.
The potential UAE purchase would be Boeing's second delivery to a Middle East nation following Qatar's purchase of three C-17s in the past year. Australia, Canada and Great Britain have also combined for an additional 10 C-17 orders in recent years.
The massive, $200-million cargo planes are used primarily to transport troops and heavy equipment like tanks and trucks, but have been used extensively in relief missions and rescue operations in the aftermath of natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.
The plane is capable of flying intercontinental distances and landing on short dirt runways - making it ideal for flying into and out of remote and war-torn regions.
Staff Writer Kristopher Hanson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
The C-17 is operated by the US 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 $2.2-billion deal, which was slipped into a larger war spending bill and needs final approval by the full House and Senate, comes as Boeing officials confirm they are in talks with the United Arab Emirates to purchase as many as four C-17s for humanitarian purposes in the Middle East.
Together, the orders could extend the C-17 production line well into 2011 - protecting as many as 5,000 jobs in Long Beach and preventing the closure of California's last major aircraft production facility.
Boeing has said it would shut down the C-17 plant on Lakewood Boulevard by late 2010 if no new orders were made.
"Interest in the C-17 has always been strong in the U.S., but now we're seeing a lot of interest from other areas of the world where they've seen how well the plane holds up," said Boeing C-17 spokesman Jerry Drelling. "It's by far proven itself as the world's best heavy-lift aircraft."
Also Tuesday, the Department of Defense formalized a previously announced $400 million deal for two C-17s bound for use by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Strategic Airlift Command.
Those aircraft are being produced by Boeing's 5,000-member work force in Long Beach, with delivery of the planes scheduled for July and September.
NATO may purchase a third aircraft this year as well, Drelling said.
Congressional approval is required for such purposes.
As for the potential eight new planes, the House Appropriations Committee is set to review the proposal on Thursday as part of its examination of the Fiscal Year 2009 budget.
The order comes despite Defense Secretary Robert Gates' insistence on ending orders for more C-17s beyond the 205 already ordered through 2010.
The potential UAE purchase would be Boeing's second delivery to a Middle East nation following Qatar's purchase of three C-17s in the past year. Australia, Canada and Great Britain have also combined for an additional 10 C-17 orders in recent years.
The massive, $200-million cargo planes are used primarily to transport troops and heavy equipment like tanks and trucks, but have been used extensively in relief missions and rescue operations in the aftermath of natural disasters, including Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami.
The plane is capable of flying intercontinental distances and landing on short dirt runways - making it ideal for flying into and out of remote and war-torn regions.
Staff Writer Kristopher Hanson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
No comments:
Post a Comment