Pratt & Whitney ceased production of the F117-PW-100 engine, which powers the C-17 when the manufacturing line in Middletown, Connecticut, shut down after delivering the final unit in January 2016.
The current support programme for the engines runs till 2027, this will be renewed but, inevitably, costs will increase year by year and the number of spare engines will shrink.
Which is why, quoting from the article above, the C-17 proposed isn't the same as the current models, any more than the 747-8 is the same as the original 747.
Quote:
It is unclear what it might cost to get the C-17 line restarted and what the unit price of these new-production aircraft would be in the end.
There are various factors at play, including whether Boeing retains any relevant tooling, the knowledge base of its current workforce, the state of third-party supply chains, and the availability of physical space to build the airplanes.
Back in 2019, the
company sold off the facilities in Long Beach, California, where it built the original run of Globemaster IIIs.
More than a decade ago, the RAND Corporation did conduct a detailed, independent analysis that explored options for resuming production of the baseline C-17A, a new C-17B, and a significantly revised “fuel efficient” C-17FE derivative.
The C-17B was “a variant Boeing has proposed that adds centerline landing gear, a tire deflation/inflation system, higher-thrust engines, advanced flaps, and an advanced situational awareness and countermeasures system,” according to RAND’s report.
The C-17FE derivative “would have a narrower fuselage, up-rated engines, a double-element flap system, winglets, a longer loading ramp, a shorter cargo door, and a modified horizontal tail.”
Sort of like Trigger's broom......