Boeing, U.S. Air Force sign $9.7 billion C-17 contract

Boeing and the U.S. Air Force announced Aug. 15 the signing of a $9.7 billion follow-on procurement contract for 60 C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft.

Since the first C-17 flight in 1991, Boeing has delivered 89 Globemasters to the Air Force. The fleet has logged more than 300,000 hours flying global airlift in support of both combat and humanitarian missions. Most recently the C-17 has been used to ferry troops, equipment, supplies and humanitarian aid into Afghanistan.

"This contract defines the C-17 as the new global airlift standard — it has proven itself time and again in service around the world, and will be the airlifter of choice well into the 21st century," said George Muellner, vice president and general manager, Air Force Systems, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.

"The hard work and dedication of thousands of Boeing employees in Long Beach, Calif.; St. Louis, Mo.; Macon, Ga.; and Mesa, Ariz., have made the C-17 program a success and this contract award possible," said Howard Chambers, vice president and general manager of Airlift and Tanker Programs. More than 30,000 men and women at 700 C-17 supplier locations throughout the United States and across the globe support the Boeing C-17 team.

"This latest contract for 60 additional aircraft is a reflection of the extraordinary capabilities this aircraft brings to our mobility fleet," said Gen. John W. Handy, Commander in Chief, U.S. Transportation Command, and Commander, Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill. "It also reflects the tremendous confidence of Congress, the Department of Defense and the U.S. Transportation Command in this airplane and the team that builds it."