Mon, Mar 07, 2011
Sends C-17A Globemaster III Letter of Request To The U.S.
Australia is investigating the purchase of an additional C-17A
Globemaster III heavy lift aircraft Minister for Defence Stephen
Smith said Monday. The government has sent a Letter of Request to
the United States regarding the potential purchase of an additional
C-17A aircraft through the United States Foreign Military Sales
program, formally seeking cost and availability information.
Mr Smith said the Royal Australian Air Force currently had four
C-17A Aircraft. They were delivered over the period 2006 to 2008.
The first of these became operational in 2007, providing the
Australian Defence Force with a global airlift capability.
Recent events in Queensland and Christchurch have underlined the
C-17s as an essential part of Australia's capacity to respond to
natural disasters both within Australia and within our region.
While disaster relief has been a recent public focus for C-17
operations, they continue to support Australian and International
Security Assistance Forces in Afghanistan and the Middle East,
meeting their primary purpose in providing military long-range
heavy airlift.
The C-17A aircraft can lift very large and heavy cargoes over
long distances providing a significant contribution to Australia's
ability to reach and respond to events. One C-17A can carry up to
four C-130 Hercules loads in a single lift and cover twice the
distance in three-quarters of the time of a C-130 Hercules.
Mr Smith said that acquisition of an additional C-17 would
almost certainly obviate any need for the acquisition of two
additional C-130J-30 aircraft under project AIR 8000 Phase 1. As
outlined in the Public Defence Capability Plan, the additional
C-130J acquisition is planned for final decision by Government in
the period 2013-14 to FY 2014-15. Following receipt of cost and
availability information from the United States , the Government
will make a decision about purchase based on capability, cost and
schedule assessments of an additional C-17.
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