Monday, April 26, 2010

DTN News: US Congress Notified Of C-17 Sales To India

DTN News: US Congress Notified Of C-17 Sales To India Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - April 27, 2010: The U.S. Congress has been formally notified of the upcoming sale of advanced Boeing C-17 transport aircraft to India, the American Embassy in New Delhi said in a news release on Monday. A key step in the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process, it is a mandatory requirement for negotiating the deal and the notification of the sale was submitted to American lawmakers by U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency on April 22. "This is an important step forward in the U.S. Foreign Military Sales process and is a necessary prerequisite to negotiations on the deal," the release said. Reacting to the news, U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer said in New Delhi the potential sale of C-17s known for its cutting-edge technology showed Washington's commitment to share the latest technology with New Delhi and was a further reflection of the growing engagement between the world's two biggest democracies. "The potential sale of C-17s strengthens the growing partnership between our two countries and demonstrates our enduring commitment to sharing the world's best technology with India." Roemer said. He also said the sale would enable both the countries to reap economic benefits and generate jobs on a massive scale. A vital cog in operations carried out by U.S. Air Force, the C-17 aircraft is known for its sturdiness and has proven its worth in trying conditions in both Iraq and Afghanistan. With a payload of 75 tons, its technical advancement enables the aircraft to take off from 3,000 to 7,000-feet airstrips, besides being capable of flying 2,400 nautical miles non-stop. Meanwhile, the C-17s will take the place of the fast aging Russian-made Ilyushin (IL-76) as the Indian Air Force embarks on a drive to modernize its fleet. Even though total cost of the deal works out to a whopping $5.8 billion, the actual costs may be much less given the fact that the total value has factored in allied costs like maintenance, training personnel, spare parts, test and ground support equipment, technical assistance, engineering services logistical and technical support which are optional. Currently, the aircraft is in use with the Australian, British, Canadian, Qatari Air Force and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) fleet.

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