Counting down the still unsold C-17s...

[ehusmann]

And so the clock is ticking for New Zealand.....

Erwin

[Stratofreighter]

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /26137493/

6:51 p.m. EDT April 23, 2015

MELBOURNE, Australia — Boeing said it still had five C-17A Globemaster transports for sale following confirmation that the Royal Australian Air Force would take another two.

However a Boeing spokesman denied knowledge of any options and said that five of the 10 "white tail" aircraft it has privately funded remain for sale.

"There are no options, all five are currently available for sale," the spokesman said.

[ehusmann]

You are missing some info. The two ordered by Australia are not in dispute. With those ordered, five are left. However, the article says that an Australian defence spokesperson mentioned another two on option (so 6 current, 2 on order confirmed, option on 2 more). Those options are disputed by Boeing saying there are no options.

"The [forthcoming] Force Structure Review will consider two further C-17A aircraft [a 9th and 10th C-17A]."

Erwin

[evhest]

I don't think the 9th and 10th Aussie C-17 are considered options. The US has agreed to a possible FMS sale of four C-17s for the RAAF. Two of those are now indeed on order, but as far as I know there's no formal option for the opther two.

[ehusmann]

I guess that is indeed the case. Judging by the wording, the Aussies will consider ordering (or take an option on) two, but have not done so yet. And therefore, Boeing still has 5 available.

Erwin

[wamovements]

N276ZD-14-0007 registration was canx this week, which could mean an upcomming delivery.

[ehusmann]

Four C-17s are sold to Qatar. Press release from Boeing.
If I count well, that means only 1 white tail is left. So tough luck for the "two Australian options" and for New Zealand...

Erwin

[Piet Luijken]

LE BOURGET, France, June 15, 2015 – Boeing (NYSE: BA) and the government of Qatar recently signed an agreement for the purchase of four more C-17 Globemaster III airlifters.
These aircraft will join the Qatar Armed Forces’ (QAF) existing fleet of four and help meet their ongoing airlift requirements.
“We are very pleased with the C-17s from Boeing and look forward to doubling our fleet to enhance worldwide operations,” said General Ahmed Al-Malki, Deputy Commander, Qatar Emiri Air Force and Chairman of The Airlift Committee.
“We’re confident the additional C-17s will significantly increase the QAF’s ability to support the people of Qatar and their allies with transport, airdrop and humanitarian missions,” said Tommy Dunehew, vice president of International Customer Service and Sales for Boeing Military Aircraft. “Boeing stands ready to support, sustain and maintain Qatar’s expanded fleet of C-17s to keep their planes mission ready.”
Qatar, the first Middle East customer to order C-17s, received two C-17s in 2009 and two additional C-17s in 2012.
In operation since 1991, C-17s are unmatched in their ability to transport troops or heavy cargo, to perform airdrop and aeromedical evacuations and to deliver humanitarian aid virtually anywhere in the world.

[Stratofreighter]

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 506624.cms

17 Aug, 2015, 04.00AM IST

The Indian Air Force appears to have taken too long to push through a Rs 8,100 crore proposal to buy
three new Boeing C-17 transport aircraft.

The American manufacturer simply does not have that many aircraft to
sell anymore,
having pledged four of the last five C-17s in its production line
to Qatar.

After months of efforts, the air force, at a Services Capital
Acquisition Plan meeting on July 31,
managed to push through the proposal to add
three aircraft to its existing fleet of 10 Boeing C-17s that were ordered in 2011.

Officials said the proposal
is likely to be taken up by the high powered Defence Acquisition Council (DAC)
shortly.

However, Boeing officials have gone on record to say that after
signing the contract with Qatar the
company is left with just one C-17 for sale.
With its production facility for
the aircraft at Long Beach in shut-down mode, the company has already halted the
production line.

Boeing had five C-17 aircraft to sell when the air force first moved the proposal in April, as ET had
first reported.

Officials said the air force could get committed
aircraft from US inventory or retracted orders of a third country , but the
chances of this happening are slim.
A solution cannot be ruled out, they said,
given that the deal is being processed under the Foreign Military Sales
pact.

[Stratofreighter]

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/iaf- ... 38640.html

New Delhi, December 20, 2016 | UPDATED 06:21 IST

IAF to buy last US C-17 aircraft left

"We will now buy whatever we can and are planning to buy the single aircraft left with the US.

In this regard, we are planning to move our proposal in a key Defence Ministry meeting planned to be held this month," a senior IAF source told

The aircraft would help the Air Force expand its inventory of 10 C-17 Globemaster heavylift transport aircraft which has been used by the force to carry out several major operations including airlift of new currency notes after the demonetisation drive by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The price of the single aircraft would be more than Rs2,500 crore and would be delivered in a
couple of years after the contract is signed between India and the US under a Foreign Military Sales route contract.

India had bought the previous 10 aircraft from the American government under a $4.1 billion (Rs2,780 crore approx) deal and all of them are deployed at its Hindon air force base near here.

[ehusmann]

The state department has approved the sale of the last white tail C-17 to India. Now only congress needs to approve it and the sale can be concluded.
http://www.investors.com/news/why-india ... m-the-u-s/

I believe this should be c/n 50273 N272ZD

Erwin

[Stratofreighter]

https://theprint.in/2017/11/08/india-ve ... -red-tape/

India on verge of losing last available C-17 Globemaster over red tape

• 8 November, 2017

Special request made to US in 2015 to hold last C-17 Globemaster aircraft; MoD process stuck despite approval.

New Delhi:
India is on the verge of losing the last available C-17 heavy transport aircraft
that it lobbied hard
to procure due to red tape.

There is also a possibility of another country snagging the much valued lifter because of India’s delays.

The Indian Air Force has been keen to add to its current fleet of 10 C-17 Globemaster aircraft that have taken part in rescue and relief missions, besides carrying out operational missions across the country.

The IAF had cleared a proposal in 2015 to buy three more heavy lifters at a cost of Rs 8,100 crore but the long running procurement process meant that its manufacturer, Boeing, ran out of aircraft to sell.

The C-17 production line has been shut down and only one aircraft was left for offer to India.

While the Indian side made efforts at the highest levels to procure the last available C-17 in the world
– requesting Washington to block sales request from other countries interested in the aircraft –
the bureaucratic processes are not yet complete.

Officials told ThePrint that Washington could rescind the offer
due to repeated delays by the defence ministry
to send the formal ‘Letter of Acceptance’ (LOA).

An LOA is part of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route that India and the US follow for direct government-to-government sales.

Sources said that while the Indian side had until October to respond to the LOA,
an extension was requested from Washington
to extend the date until November.

Now, a further extension has been sought until next year and that could derail the procurement process further.

Delays and extensions have remained a norm for most Indian defence procurements over the years
and there have been several instances
when equipment was finally bought after more than five years’ delay and at a higher cost.

In 2011, India had bought 10 such aircraft at a cost of $4.7 billion. The contract also had a follow-on clause to procure six more aircraft.

However, with limited resources available, the IAF had asked for an additional three, impressed by its abilities, especially in rescue and relief missions in India and the neighbourhood.

[Stratofreighter]

https://theprint.in/2017/12/20/india-se ... obemaster/

With last-minute approval, India set to snap up world’s last available C-17 Globemaster

Manu Pubby • 20 December, 2017

Two years after special request made to hold aircraft, defence ministry committee clears signing of contract.

New Delhi: India is now set to snap up the world’s last available C-17 heavy transport aircraft
after a last-minute approval by the defence ministry last week,
two years after a special request was made to Washington to reserve the plane.

A meeting of the defence acquisition committee (DAC)
headed by minister Nirmala Sitharaman cleared the procurement
that will take the total number of the transport aircraft in the Indian Air Force to 11.

US manufacturer Boeing has shut down the production line after producing 279 aircraft and the last C-17 Globemaster
had more than one global contender
given its unique role
as a large airlifter optimised for special operations, humanitarian assistance missions and carrying troops over large distances.

The lone aircraft is likely to cost India over Rs 2,700 crore and
could arrive within a few months after the formal signing of the contract.

The plane is being bought under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or direct government purchase route from Washington.

With the clearance, the defence ministry will now send a formal ‘letter of acceptance’ (LOA) to confirm the sale.

As reported by ThePrint,
India had lobbied hard to get the last plane since 2015 but bureaucratic red tape
had created the possibility of the aircraft being taken up by another buyer.

Sources said that the aircraft – which has been produced and kept mothballed – will be prepped up and will go through a set of tests before being delivered.

In 2015, the Air Force had cleared
a proposal to buy three of the heavy lifters at a cost of Rs 8,100 crore
but as procurement process dragged on,
its manufacturer Boeing ran out of aircraft to sell as the C-17 production line was shut down.

In 2011, India had bought 10 aircraft for $4.7 billion.

The contract also had a follow-on option clause to procure six more aircraft.

However, with limited resources available,
the Air Force had asked for an additional three, impressed by its operational abilities.

[Stratofreighter]

https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/ ... e/1481376/

The Boeing Co., Defense, Space, and Security, Huntington Beach, California,
has been awarded a $262,000,000 not-to-exceed undefinitized contract action for one C-17 aircraft.

This contract provides for delivery of a C-17 aircraft in the India unique configuration.

Work will be performed in San Antonio, Texas, and is expected to be complete by Aug. 22, 2019.

This contract involves foreign military sales to the country of India.

This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition.

Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $2,000,000 are being obligated at the time of award.
Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8614-18-C-0003).

http://www.janes.com/article/78966/indi ... 17-awarded

A USD262 million award for the delivery of the last C-17 to the Indian Air Force (IAF)
to roll off the now-closed production line at Long Beach, California, was announced on 30 March.

The aircraft, which was built as a ‘white-tail’ (with no customer yet signed up),
will join the 10 C-17s already fielded by the IAF by 22 August 2019.

This contract follows US State Department approval of the sale,
which the Defense Security and Cooperation Agency (DSCA) had originally put at USD336.2 million.

The additional funds will cover further ancillary equipment as well as sustainment and support.

As with all the other operators of the C-17,
the IAF’s fleet is supported by Boeing via its Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program (GISP) performance-based logistics contract.
This ‘virtual fleet’ enables international customers to tap into the US Air Force’s (USAF’s) vast support infrastructure.
It is likely that a large percentage of the value of this proposed Indian sale
is related to the aircraft’s through-life sustainment and support through the GISP programme.

[Bennie]

Guys, which 2 C-17s (of the 279 built) do I miss?

USA: 224
UAE: 8
UK: 8
Canada: 5
NATO: 3
Australia: 8
India: 11
Qatar: 8
Kuwait: 2

adds up to 277...