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.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.defence.gov.au/raaf