Latest news with #C-17GlobemasterIII
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Boeing In Talks To Restart C-17 Production
Two decades after the last example rolled off the production line, Boeing says it's in negotiations with at least one customer to build more C-17 Globemaster III airlifters. The development comes as countries around the world look to boost their armed forces' capabilities, and with no immediate successor to the C-17 waiting in the wings. Turbo Sjogren, VP and general manager of Boeing Global Services-Government Services, confirmed to Shephard Defense at the Paris Air Show today that 'early infancy' talks were underway with one country, with a view to a potential C-17 production restart.'It is a very extraordinary effort to do,' Sjogren told the same publication, noting that it was 'reflective of the utility of the aircraft.' He added that interest in new-build C-17s was being expressed by several other countries, too. None of those countries was named, but TWZ has approached Boeing for more details. The nations involved may or may not be drawn from the C-17's existing customer base. As well as the U.S. Air Force, its biggest operator, the C-17 is flown by Australia, Canada, India, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Finally, NATO's multinational Strategic Airlift Capability Heavy Airlift Wing also operates C-17s. One potentially new customer for the C-17 is Japan. Earlier this year, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba disclosed an interest in buying C-17. Previously, we speculated that any such aircraft for Japan would have to be transferred from the U.S. Air Force or from the inventory of an allied operator. If a new production line were to open, that would change things entirely. Certainly, a continued demand for the C-17 is understandable among both established operators and potential new customers. Outside of China and Russia, there is no real equivalent to the C-17, with many countries instead turning to the Airbus A400M or the Embraer C-390 Millennium for their airlift needs, which offer a very different set of capabilities. The A400M was originally marketed as a gap-filler between the C-130 Hercules at one end and the C-17 at the other. Meanwhile, the C-390 has often been described, in loose terms, as a jet-powered C-130. The C-17 can transport 100,000 pounds of cargo more than 4,500 nautical miles. It can make high-angle, steep approaches at relatively slow speeds, allowing it to operate into small, austere airfields and onto runways as short as 3,500 feet long and just 90 feet wide. While it has tactical capabilities, it's equally adept as a long-range, heavy-lift strategic transport. Unlike the A400M, the C-17 can lift everything up to an M1 Abrams main battle tank, so its outsized load-carrying capabilities are impressive and useful. The A400M, in contrast, is much more of a tactical transport that offers certain strategic capabilities. It can carry 30,000 pounds of cargo over 2,400 nautical miles, and it can also operate from unprepared or semi-prepared strips. Clearly, the A400M isn't a direct replacement for the C-17, but at the same time, Boeing says it has no planned replacement for the Globemaster III. But bringing the C-17 back into production, whatever the demand, will not be straightforward. Back in 2018, we reported on how Boeing had put the Long Beach, California, facilities where it built the C-17 up for sale. This appeared to bring a definitive end to C-17 production, as well as Boeing's serial manufacture of military aircraft in Southern California. But even at that time, there was a question about whether emerging U.S. Air Force demands might make a restart an attractive idea. Specifically, the U.S. Air Force was, back then, looking to add three C-17 squadrons as part of a larger push to drastically expand the size of its force and to enhance its ability to move personnel and materiel across the globe. Those plans fell by the wayside, but the C-17 aspiration seemed something of a non-starter at that time. When it was active, Boeing's Long Beach facility, comprising a nearly four-million-square-foot plot of land adjacent to Long Beach Airport, produced 279 C-17s for the U.S. Air Force and foreign customers. McDonnell Douglas had developed and first started production of the C-17 at the site in 1991. Boeing bought that firm in 1997, taking over the Globemaster III program and the production facilities in the process. Though Boeing still provides C-17-related maintenance and other services in Southern California, the production facilities at Long Beach have been idle since the last Globemaster III left the plant in 2015. Even before that, in 2013, the RAND Corporation conducted a detailed analysis of what it might cost to reboot C-17 production after a multi-year pause. The figure was close to $8 billion to support the production of up to 150 new derivatives with improved fuel efficiency. RAND assumed that Boeing would build those aircraft somewhere else rather than in Long Beach. We have also reached out to Boeing today to get a better idea of what it would now take to start building C-17s again. A production restart could perhaps also be aligned with Boeing's Integrated Sustainment Program (GISP), which provides modernization and support to the existing C-17 fleet. If a new production run proved to be feasible, Boeing would likely look again at an updated configuration, which would be a more capable and efficient subtype. Some of these improvements might also be relevant for upgrades of C-17s built in the original series. In the longer term, the U.S. Air Force has been eyeing more exotic airlift capabilities, like blended-wing-body (BWB) designs. While there are still many unknowns about the kinds of capabilities and platforms that the service will need in the future, one thing that seems to be central, at least at this stage, is the requirement for a much greater degree of survivability compared to legacy airlift platforms. A revamped C-17 would not deliver on that front. On the other hand, the requirement to replace the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 fleets is becoming increasingly urgent. The program to field new U.S. Air Force airlift capabilities is still at an early stage and it's unclear if it will be pursued under the (currently still unofficial) Next-Generation Airlift (NGAL) name, or if it will be reconfigured under the name Next-Generation Airlift System, to better represent that fact that it will involve a family of different platforms and capabilities. Regardless, the service doesn't have much time to stand up and deliver on an entirely new strategic airlifter or family of strategic airlifters. Absolutely critical to the fate of the U.S. Air Force C-17 fleet is the fact that these vital aircraft are being tasked at a far higher rate than planned. Major contingencies all over the world, from Afghanistan to Ukraine, in particular, have put many extra hours on these airframes. A potential future contingency in the Pacific would see the fleet taxed even harder and possibly over a longer period of time. Some argue that more C-17 capacity is needed just to fight that conflict in the distributed manner the Pentagon wants. On top of this, promising new capabilities are giving C-17s the ability to execute kinetic roles via standoff weapons delivery, which could be a great way to take some pressure off the bomber force. At the same time, the question of where the capacity to actually execute that mission would come from during a time when aerial logistics would be pushed to the max isn't clear. Hence why the call for more C-17s, or something that is similarly capable, is growing louder. With all this in mind, the U.S. Air Force might well welcome the opportunity to buy additional C-17s, if it can find the funds to do so, even if only as a gap-filler. In fact, depending on the level of foreign interest in new-build C-17s, an order from the Pentagon may well be critical in order to get any production restart off the ground. At this point, it remains very questionable whether restarting C-17 production is possible, let alone economical. On the other hand, there's little doubt that customers looking for an airlifter that's able to land on an unimproved airstrip in the middle of nowhere or carry an Abrams main battle tank have very few realistic options at this point in time. Contact the author: thomas@
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Four heavy US bombers stationed at key Indian Ocean base
Four US Stratofortress bombers are currently stationed at the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean, according to an AFP analysis of satellite imagery, as the conflict between Israel and Iran extended to its fifth straight day. The base, leased to the United States by Britain, is one of its key military facilities in the Asia-Pacific region, and was used as a hub for long-range bombers and ships during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The four B52H Stratofortresses, which can carry nuclear weapons or other precision-guided munitions, were spotted on a southern tarmac at Diego Garcia on Monday at 0922 GMT. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Average Cost To Rent A Private Jet May Surprise You (View Prices) Private Jet I Search Ads Learn More Undo Images provided by Planet Labs indicate they arrived in mid-May. A C-17 Globemaster III troop and cargo transport plane is also at the base, according to the AFP analysis, as well as six jets likely to be KC-135 airborne refuelling tanker. Live Events The Pentagon said Monday that it was sending "additional capabilities" to the Middle East amid an escalation of the Iran-Israel conflict, while the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz cancelled a Vietnam visit to head toward the Indian Ocean according to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking site. Washington has also redeployed around 30 refuelling planes toward bases in Europe.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Heads up: Weekend training at Wright-Patt will be loud
Jun. 4—If you're in the Fairborn, Wright-Patterson or Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport areas this weekend, you might hear some noise. Members of the the 445th Aeromedical Staging Squadron, with airmen from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona, plan to conduct a full-scale joint exercise that will simulate medical operations after an invasion in a contested space from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. And the the 445th Security Forces Squadron will conduct night operations training on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base from 9 p.m. to midnight Saturday — exercises that will include gunfire and explosions. These Saturday exercises will take place simultaneously at three locations, with operations ending earlier in some locations than others. Training will happen on Wright-Patterson, at Wright State University's Calamityville Training and Research Facility off East Xenia Drive in Fairborn, and on portions of the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. "The public should be aware of increased activity and noise during this time to include smoke, flashbangs, gunfire, helicopter activity and other increased aircraft activity," the 445th Airlift Wing warned in a release Wednesday. Based on Wright-Patterson, with a fleet of nine C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, the 445th specializes in the transport of people and equipment. Medical care of people being transported is also a core capability of the wing. Also, members of the Air Force, Army and Marine Corps will be conducting close air support training in the Buckeye and Bush Creek military operations areas in the south of Ohio. This area covers land in between and around Bardwell to Leesburg to Staunton to Chillicothe to West Portsmouth to Georgetown. Those living and working in these areas should be aware of increased noise and activity from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
Time of India
17-05-2025
- Time of India
Indian and US Air Forces team up to fix US C-17 aircraft at Jaipur airbase
ANI photo NEW DELHI: A technical snag in a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft was quickly and jointly resolved by India and the US Air Forces at the Jaipur airbase on Saturday. According to a post on X, an IAF maintenance team worked with US Air Force personnel to fix the issue. The swift response and deployment of essential equipment underlined the strong logistical coordination between the two forces, it said. While the detailed information about the fault has not yet been released, Boeing's website describes the C-17 Globemaster III as a large military transport aircraft with four engines, high wings, and a T-shaped tail. It is used by defence forces to carry heavy equipment, supplies, and troops. The aircraft can land on small runways in rough and remote areas. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like [Ativar Agora] - Licença de antivírus para PC Clique aqui Undo The incident has brought attention to the smooth collaboration between the Indian and American air forces. Their growing partnership is part of a broader effort to ensure readiness and mutual support, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. Over the years, both air forces have engaged in joint exercises such as Yudh Abhyas, Vajra Prahar, and Tiger Triumph, shared best practices, and explored avenues for technological cooperation.
Straits Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Migrants told of Libya deportation waited hours on tarmac, attorney says
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Customs and Border Protection security agents guide detained migrants to board a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft for a removal flight at Fort Bliss, Texas, U.S. January 23, 2025. Dept. of Defense/U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas J. De La Pena/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo WASHINGTON - Migrants in Texas who were told they would be deported to Libya sat on a military airfield tarmac for hours on Wednesday, unsure of what would happen next, an attorney for one of the men told Reuters. The attorney, Tin Thanh Nguyen, said his client, a Vietnamese construction worker from Los Angeles, was among the migrants woken in the early morning hours and bused from an immigration detention center in Pearsall, Texas, to an airfield where a military aircraft awaited them. After several hours, they were bused back to the detention center around noon, the attorney said on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security, the Pentagon and the State Department did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters was first to report that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration was poised to deport migrants to Libya, a move that would escalate his immigration crackdown which has already drawn legal backlash. Officials earlier this week told Reuters the U.S. military could fly the migrants to the North African country as soon as Wednesday, but stressed that plans could change. A U.S. official told Reuters the flight never departed. As of Friday, it was unclear if the administration was still planning to proceed with the deportations. A federal judge in Boston ruled on Wednesday that any effort by the Trump administration to deport non-Libyan migrants to Libya without adequate screenings for possible persecution or torture would clearly violate a prior court order. Lawyers for a group of migrants pursuing a class action lawsuit had made an emergency request to the court hours after the news broke of the potential flight to Libya. SOLITARY CONFINEMENT Nguyen, who declined to name his client, said the man was told on Monday to sign a document agreeing to be deported to Libya. The man, who does not read English well, declined to sign it and was placed in solitary confinement and shackled along with four or five other men, the attorney said. The man was never provided an opportunity to express a fear of being deported to Libya as required under federal immigration law and the recent judicial order, Nguyen said. "They said, 'We're deporting you to Libya,' even though he hadn't signed the form, he didn't know what the form was," Nguyen said. Nguyen said his client, originally from Vietnam, has lived in the U.S. since the 1990s but was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year during a regular check-in. Vietnam declines to accept some deportees and processes deportation paperwork slowly, Nguyen said, making it harder for the U.S. to send deportees there. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
