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NATO Consortium Completes Agreement to Acquire Boeing C-17s

Written by thomas · Filed Under Aeronautics News 

October 1, 2008

thomas

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) today
announced that an international consortium of 10 NATO members — joined by
Partnership for Peace nations Sweden and Finland — signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) on Sept. 24 to acquire three Boeing C-17 Globemaster
III long-range cargo jets. The agreement sets the stage for NATO’s first
major defense purchase in 30 years.

Under the agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense and the NATO
Airlift Management Agency, two of the advanced airlifters would be
purchased from Boeing, while a third would be provided by the U.S. Air
Force. The aircraft would be assigned to NATO’s Heavy Airlift Wing and
jointly operated by the nations from Papa Air Base, Hungary. Delivery of
the first aircraft could take place as early as spring 2009.

Each participating nation would pay for a portion of a C-17 rather than
an entire aircraft, allowing them to share a pooled fleet. The 12 countries
participating in NATO’s Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) program are
Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and the United States.

“The SAC will provide an important new capability to address the
critical alliance need for strategic airlift to support operations in
Afghanistan and elsewhere, as well as other national missions, including EU
and U.N. missions,” said Peter Flory, NATO Assistant Secretary General for
Defense Investment. “It can also provide a model for future capability
development.”

“The C-17 is built for the very missions that NATO has been performing
for decades,” said Jean Chamberlin, Boeing vice president and C-17 program
manager. “The Globemaster III, now in its 15th year of service, continues
to be recognized as the backbone of international airlift missions,
supporting numerous contingency, humanitarian relief, and peacekeeping
efforts around the world. It is with tremendous pride that we welcome NATO,
Sweden and Finland to the C-17 family.”

The C-17 fleet will allow each nation to meet its airlift requirements
to support sovereign and multinational mission requirements. NATO does not
currently own a heavy airlift capability and frequently contracts with
nations such as the United States and Russia for assistance with its heavy
airlift requirements. The MOU calls for Boeing to establish a facility at
Papa Air Base to provide C-17 logistics support under the current
Globemaster Support Partnership.

“We continue to see strong international interest in C-17s,” said Tommy
Dunehew, Boeing International C-17 program manager. “And this NATO
agreement is a reflection of that.”

A high-wing, four-engine, T-tailed aircraft with a rear-loading ramp,
the C-17 can carry large combat equipment and troops or humanitarian aid
across international distances directly to small austere airfields anywhere
in the world. With a payload of up to 170,000 pounds, the C-17 can take off
from a 7,600-foot airfield, fly 2,400 nautical miles, and land in 3,000
feet or less.

There are 192 operational C-17s worldwide — 178 with the U.S. Air
Force; six with the Royal Air Force (UK); four with the Royal Australian
Air Force, and four with the Canadian Forces. Boeing received a contract in
July to provide the C-17 to Qatar, with deliveries starting in late summer
2009.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems
(http://www.boeing.com/ids/index.html) is one of the world’s largest space
and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven
customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer
of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense
Systems is a $32.1 billion business with 71,000 employees worldwide.

SOURCE Boeing Integrated Defense Systems

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