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 There
was a ceremonial sendoff for the aircraft, attended
by Senator Barbara Boxter, Boeing Vice President
and Program Manager Rick Heerdt and USAF Lt Gen
Herbert ‘Hawk’ Carlisle, who flew the
latest induction to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in
Tacoma, Washington state, to join the 62nd and
446th Airlift Wing there.
The base now has a total number of 54 of these
strategic lift aircraft.
Senator Boxter congratulated the Boeing management
and workers for building “this magnificent
aircraft,” and expressed the hope that there
would be some international orders in the coming
months “to maintain a reliable American industrial
base.”
She indicated that discussions with India for
the sale of ten plus six C 17s were still going
on. “We must work hard to secure international
sales, such as the sale of 16 aircraft to India
that we all hope to see finalized soon.”
It may be noted that USAF has ordered a total
of 223 C 17s, and the remaining 21 are likely
to be delivered at a little slower pace in the
coming years. To date though, Boeing’s Long
Beach facility here has delivered 220 C 17s, 201
to the USAF and 19 to various international customers.
A Boeing spokesman told India Strategic
that the C 17 has the best of safety records while
Senator Boxter pointed out that as a workhorse
of the USAF, the C 17 had been successfully used
in critical combat as well as humanitarian missions
around the world.
USAF has currently deployed several C 17s to
fly major humanitarian missions to supply food
and medical assistance to Pakistan to help the
victims of floods.
 After
landing at the Lewis-McChord base, Lt Gen Carlisle
passed the key of the aircraft to Maj Christopher
May, 62nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Commander.
Airlift Wing Commander Col Kevin Kilb, who expressed
his happiness on receiving a new aircraft, observed:
This new aircraft will increase our nation’s
capacity and capability to execute our airlift
missions.”
It may be noted that the Indian Air Force (IAF)
is already negotiating with the USAF to acquire
10 C 17s under the US Government's Foreign Military
Sales (FMS) programme. But recently, Chief of
Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P V Naik told
India Strategic that IAF had also opted
to buy an additional six C 17s, bringing the total
IAF requirement to 16.
 The
United Arab Emirates (UAE) has ordered six C 17s,
and their delivery is due next year while Boeing
is also in talks with Oman and Saudi Arabia for
an unknown number of these aircraft.
The C 17 can land and take off from very small
airfields or even grassy patches the size of a
football ground, turn in a tight radius, and make
quick landings and getaways.
Although India is buying only a small number
of aircraft, 16, it is still the biggest buyer
of C 17 after the US.
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