India and Last C-17 White Tail
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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India and Last C-17 White Tail
If they really wanted 3 I am sure the State Department could spring a couple from the DoD. The C-5 upgrade program can more than fill any hole.
Alert 5 » India wants to buy last ?white tail? Boeing C-17 - Military Aviation News
The last C-17 produced by Boeing has yet to find a buyer and India has indicated that it is keen to buy the cargo plane. India had wanted to buy three more aircraft to add to its existing fleet of 10 C-17s but Boeing closed the production line before India could get its act together.
Alert 5 » India wants to buy last ?white tail? Boeing C-17 - Military Aviation News
The last C-17 produced by Boeing has yet to find a buyer and India has indicated that it is keen to buy the cargo plane. India had wanted to buy three more aircraft to add to its existing fleet of 10 C-17s but Boeing closed the production line before India could get its act together.
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The last C-17 produced by Boeing has yet to find a buyer and India has indicated that it is keen to buy the cargo plane.
If they really wanted 3 I am sure the State Department could spring a couple from the DoD. The C-5 upgrade program can more than fill any hole.
And the C-5 fleet is going down in number, even with the C-5M upgrade. Only the 50 or so B's are going through the "M" program (plus one test A and the two C's), so dozens of A's have already gone to the boneyard, and several have already been cut up. So yes improved reliability and dispatch with the M, but the Galaxy fleet will be down to around 52 aircraft quite soon from 131 built. Sadly the marvelous "electric" sounding engines are about gone.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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KenV,
Mayhap, but if State point out that if they don't, the next Sqn will be either Russian or European A-400Ms, I thing they'll find them. Having lost the Middle East to the Russians I doubt they'll want to risk the increasing military sales and rapprochement with India as well.
Mayhap, but if State point out that if they don't, the next Sqn will be either Russian or European A-400Ms, I thing they'll find them. Having lost the Middle East to the Russians I doubt they'll want to risk the increasing military sales and rapprochement with India as well.
ORAC, the line's shut down. Unless someone coughs up the money to rewarm and reopen the line, there isn't a C-17 to sell.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
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If necessary they could pull 3 off the USAF line and deliver them tomorrow - and throw some money at the maintenance budget to shorten/rejig the maintenance schedule to fill the gap. Might shorten the life a bit - but then you're talking 50+ years downline and multiple life extension programs away. One also has to accept the present force has attrition numbers built in anyway.
Just depends how desperately they want to keep the Indians happy and away from going back to buying Russian...
Just depends how desperately they want to keep the Indians happy and away from going back to buying Russian...
Your glib attitude towards the USAF's C-17 buy is noted. The USAF likely isn't interested in their acquisition being scrooged, nor in your suggestion.
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KenV, Mayhap, but if State point out that if they don't, the next Sqn will be either Russian or European A-400Ms, I thing they'll find them.
Hmmmm, USAF parochial versus global political chess....