Boeing Wins Multibillion Dollar Contract To Sustain Global C-17 ...

• Skip to main content
• Skip to navigation

Fixed-Wing Boeing wins multibillion dollar contract to sustain global C-17 Globemaster III fleet

By Garrett Reim2021-09-28T19:45:00+01:00

The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded Boeing a multibillion-dollar contract to sustain the worldwide fleet of C-17 Globemaster III strategic transports over the next 10 years.

The contract runs through May 2031 and has a maximum value of $23.8 billion, if all options are exercised, the US Department of Defense said on 27 September. The US government granted Boeing an initial $3.46 billion contract to kick off the programme through 2024.

Source: US Air Force

The C-17 Globemaster III is the US Air Force’s main strategic airlifter

Boeing’s C-17 is the core of the USAF’s airlifting capability. With a 77,500kg (171,000lb) lifting capacity, the transport can carry paratroopers, patients on stretchers, vehicles and cargo pallets.

The aircraft was used heavily as part of the recent evacuations of Kabul, named Operation Allies Refuge, under which 124,000 people were airlifted out of Hamid Karzai International airport between 14-30 August. In one record-setting flight, a C-17 carried 823 people out of Afghanistan.

The aircraft features a high-lift wing mounted above the fuselage, as well as slats and externally blown flaps, which allow it to operate from rough airfields as short as 1,064m (3,500ft), and only 27.4m wide.

There are 273 examples of the Globemaster, with an average age of 16.5 years, in service globally, according to Cirium fleets data. In addition to maintaining the USAF’s 220 C-17s, the recently awarded contract provides for sustainment of aircraft fielded by India, Kuwait, NATO, Qatar, the UK Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the United Arab Emirates.

Boeing is to provide programme management, logistics, materiel and equipment management, engineering, quality assurance, depot-level aircraft maintenance and modifications, Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engine management, long-term sustainment planning and field services. The company is also to provide undisclosed “unique foreign military customer services”.

The USAF awarded Boeing the contract as a sole source, meaning without competition. Typically, sole-source contracts are granted when the US government believes there are not viable alternatives.

The contract is structured as a performance-based logistics agreement; a sustainment programme where a company is contracted to maintain a certain level of flight readiness. That differs from traditional maintenance contracts where the operator would pay for supply of parts or repair services.

The C-17 was developed by McDonnell Douglas and manufactured in Long Beach, California. Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas in 1997 and continued to produce the airlifter until 2015.

Article updated on 29 September with additional information from Boeing

Garrett ReimView full Profile

More from Garrett Reim

• 

  Northrop Grumman to develop digital twin of Bombardier CRJ testbed

• 

  Taiwan’s Patriot missile upgrade touches nerve as China sanctions Raytheon, Lockheed

• 

  Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant demos single-engine, sling-load and slalom flight

Topics

• Defence
• Department of Defense
• Department of the Air Force (USAF)
• Fixed-wing
• North America

Related articles

• News

  Boeing appoints Pentagon veteran Heidi Grant to key sales role

  2021-10-15T03:19:00Z By Greg Waldron

  Boeing has appointed Pentagon veteran Heidi Grant to a senior sales role for the company’s defence and space business.

• News

  ​USAF F-15E successfully drops new 5,000lb bunker buster

  2021-10-13T03:32:00Z By Greg Waldron

  A US Air Force Boeing F-15E fighter has successfully dropped the GBU-72, a new 2,270kg (5,000lb) bunker buster bomb.

• News

  JASSM-ER launch from MC-130J to help prove ‘Rapid Dragon’ pallet concept

  2021-09-22T01:09:00Z By Garrett Reim

  Lockheed Martin plans to demonstrate the ability to launch a Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range (JASSM-ER) from the back of an MC-130J transport by the end of the year, as it works to develop a palletised launch system called ‘Rapid Dragon’.

Load more articles

More from Fixed-Wing

• News

  B-21 prototype logs close-proximity flight with KC-135 as part of aerial refuelling tests

  2026-03-11T19:22:00Z By Ryan Finnerty

  The US Air Force has confirmed that its next-generation B-21 Raider stealth bomber has conducted close-proximity flight tests with a KC-135 tanker, marking a significant milestone in the aircraft’s development programme ahead of planned operational deployment in 2027.

• News

  Pratt & Whitney wins follow-on AGM-190A engine contract

  2026-03-11T04:50:00Z By Greg Waldron

  Pratt & Whitney has secured a follow-on contract to supply TJ150 turbojets for Leidos’s AGM-190A air-launched cruise missile, designed for deployment from AC-130J gunships.

• News

  Australia deploys E-7A to Middle East amid Iranian attacks

  2026-03-10T13:35:00Z By Greg Waldron

  Australia has deployed a Boeing E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft to the Middle East to provide early detection of Iranian drones and missiles. Canberra will also supply Raytheon AIM-120 air-to-air missiles, whilst emphasising it is not participating in offensive operations against Iran.

Load more articles

• Contact us
• About us
• Advertise with us
• Jobs
• Conferences and Events
• Newsletters
• Paid content
• Reports

FlightGlobal is the global aviation community’s primary source of news, data, insight, knowledge and expertise. We provide news, data, analytics and advisory services to connect the aviation community globally and help organisations shape their business strategies, identify new opportunities and make better decisions faster.

• Announcements
• FAQs
• Topics A-Z
• Terms and conditions
• Cookie policy
• Privacy policy
• © ProMedia Group UK Ltd

Follow us on social media

• Connect with us on Facebook
• Connect with us on Twitter
• Connect with us on Linked in
• Email us
• Connect with us on Youtube

Site powered by Webvision Cloud