Aussies Keep Long Beach, CA Line Going
Ceremonies at Boeing's Long Beach,
CA facility marked the delivery on Friday -- one month ahead
of schedule -- of the Australian Air Force's second C-17
Globemaster III.
Senior Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) officials, led by Air
Commodore Jack Plenty, commander, Air Lift Group, joined Boeing
leaders and employees for the event.
"The acceptance of the second RAAF C-17 was eagerly anticipated
by the Australian Defence Force," said Plenty.
"Our C-17 squadron already has conducted several
inter-continental, time-critical tasks over the past five months
since the arrival of the first aircraft in December 2006. These
tasks could never have been achieved if we did not have such a
responsive global airlift capability."
Boeing announced it will cease production of the C-17 in
mid-2009 due to lack of orders. ANN reported in March that Boeing
needs orders for 16 more planes to keep the line open.
Global Heavylift Holdings, reported to be looking to utilize
military cargo planes for commercial purposes such as carrying
heavy and oversize machinery, plans to purchase new or used C-17s
from Boeing, reported Bloomberg in March.
Dave Bowman, Boeing vice president and C-17 program manager,
acknowledged there had been interest in commercial use of the
C-17s, although Boeing spokesman Rick Sanford was unable to confirm
the company has received a request from Global Heavylift.
"We have been speaking with serious companies that have a strong
interest in obtaining derivatives of the C-17 for commercial use,"
Sanford said. "That will be moot unless we get the funding from the
US government to keep that line open."
Global Heavylift's plans included purchasing 60 used planes from
the government, which gives the military an opportunity to update
its own inventory, or 30 new planes, Stokes said.
The company has also expressed interest in taking over Boeing's
production line if the aircraft manufacturer is forced to cease
making the C-17s.
As ANN reported, Boeing has
190 US Air Force C-17s under contract and delivered the 162nd of
those in March. While the Defense Department added funding for 10
more planes in December, it didn't request money for new C-17s in
the 2008 federal budget, which was released in February.
For Australia, the Globemaster will immediately provide
support to the Australian Defense Force by transporting
newly-acquired Army Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats and their support
equipment, as well as C-17 logistical equipment back to RAAF Base
Amberley, reports New Zealand's Independent New Media,
The aircraft is expected to arrive "down under" on May 19.
The first RAAF C-17 arrived in December 2006. The remaining two
RAAF C-17s under contract to Boeing will arrive in Australia in
2008.
"The fleet of four C-17 aircraft will provide a quantum leap in
the Australian Defense Force's ability to rapidly airlift
personnel; stores; and equipment, particularly outsized equipment,
in support of military or humanitarian operations," said one
official.
"Once again, our Boeing team has made good on its commitment to
deliver our customer a world-class airlift capability, on time and
on budget," said Bowman.
Australia's C-17s are part of a worldwide fleet that includes
164 U.S. Air Force C-17s and four United Kingdom Royal Air Force
(RAF) aircraft. The RAF will receive its fifth C-17 in early 2008.
Boeing will deliver the first of four C-17s to the Canadian Forces
in August. Boeing is on contract to design, build, deliver and
support 190 US Air Force C-17s. The last scheduled delivery is in
mid-2009.
The four C-17s are part of a $2 billion program to enhance the
RAAF's long-range transport capabilities.