A400M delay could result in additional orders

10:50 GMT, January 13, 2009 Boeing has landed a U.S. Air Force contract worth $1.1 billion for work on the military’s C-17 Globemaster III cargo and transport planes. The contract was announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Defense (see: http://www.defpro.com/news/details/4819/) and was part of an existing C-17 Globemaster sustainment contract. Boeing spokeswoman Lori Moore said according to the contract Boeing’s facility in Long Beach, Calif. will do support work for the aircraft weapons systems, total systems support, including spare parts and managing the Air Force's inventory of C-17 parts, depot maintenance work, field support, and modifications.

The Department of Defense said Monday that $548 million of the contract had already been obligated to the company.


Additional orders?
Beyond that, British Defense Secretary John Hutton said on Monday that Britain was looking to buy more C-17’s to avoid the land supply route through Pakistan which has suffered some militant attacks in the last weeks. Hutton’s also expressed concern about the recent news from Military Airbus that its A400M military airlifter would not be ready before 2012 (see: http://www.defpro.com/news/details/4780/). He said to reporters that Britain could not accept a three to four year delay in the delivery of the aircraft.

Lockheed Martin officials also said that the A400M delay could result in dozens of additional orders for its C-130J transport aircraft.

Last year, it won an order from NATO for three C-17 cargo planes, which generally sell for upward of $200 million each, and the company has been lobbying the U.S. Air Force to more planes as well.

U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster IIIs provided intra-theater heavy airlift, helping to sustain operations throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa.

Approximately 138 airlift sorties were flown, 622 tons of cargo delivered, and 3,263 passengers were transported. This included approximately 46,920 pounds of troop re-supply air-dropped in Afghanistan.

The C-17 is a four-engined aircraft with a rear-loading ramp and can carry up to 170,000 pounds of large combat equipment and troops or humanitarian aid across long distances to small airfields. The C-17 is operated by the United States 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.

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More information on C-17:

Netherlands Buying C-17 Transport Planes in NATO Partnership
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/4072/

U.S. strategical airlift mix may change, GAO found
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/3947/

C-17 provides support
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/885/

RAF's fifth C-17 aircraft arrives in the UK
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/76/

More information on the A400M delay:

Telling It As It Is
http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/216/

First A400M delivery in 2012 or later
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/4780/

Germany extends SALIS contract - while waiting for the A400M
http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/206/