Photos: Boeing delivers India's third C-17 Globemaster III

by Vinay Bhaskara

Boeing image

The third Boeing C-17 Globemaster III for the Indian Air Force departed on 20th August from Boeing's Long Beach facility, after the first and second C-17s arrived in June and July.

India will take delivery of two more C-17s this year, and five in 2014. The Indian Air Force is the largest operator of the C-17 after the United States.

The C-17 is a large, versatile military transport aircraft able to carry heavy, oversize loads long distances and land on rough and unprepared surfaces. It has been used in humanitarian and military missions around the world and recently surpassed 2.6 million flight hours."

To date, Boeing has delivered 256 C-17s; 222 to the U.S. Air Force, and a total of 34 distributed between Australia,Canada, India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), and the Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of NATO.

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Boeing Reaches 250,000-Kit Milestone for JDAM Weapon Program

Boeing's defense arm today reached a major milestone with the production of its 250,000th Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit. Find the details in the press release below.

20th August 2013

ST. CHARLES, Mo., Aug. 20, 2013 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] today marked its recent production of the 250,000th Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit, a major milestone for a program that, since 1998, has reliably and affordably converted unguided munitions into near-precision weapons.

The company facility in St. Charles produces more than 40 JDAM kits every day, on time and on budget.

“The JDAM remains a valuable asset to warfighters around the world,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott W. Jansson, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. “From the onset of the program, we saw the worth JDAM added to our mission portfolio, and we are still seeing the dividends through its advanced technologies.”

With a range of more than 15 nautical miles, JDAM can defeat high-value targets in any weather, day or night, with minimal risk to air crews. New variants such as Laser JDAM and JDAM Extended Range allow warfighters to prosecute moving targets and deploy the weapon from greater distances, capabilities that come with little to no development risk since they are based on proven technology.

“It’s been an honor to produce JDAM for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and America’s allies these past 15 years,” said Debbie Rub, Boeing vice president & general manager, Global Strike. “The JDAM continues to protect warfighters with its precision accuracy and unmatched mission reliability.”

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security 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 Defense, Space & Security is a $33 billion business with 59,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.

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Indian Air Force's first Boeing C-17 Globemaster III enters flight testing

The Indian Air Force's (IAF) first Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlifter (tail number CB-8001) has been delivered by Boeing, on schedule, for flight testing.

Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster III. CB-8001

The first of the 10 airlifters ordered, now enters a U.S. Air Force (USAF) flight test program at the famous "The Right Stuff" Edwards Air Force Base in Palmdale, California, USA. This particular aircraft completed the 'major join' of its fuselage about six months ago.

These C-17's were ordered by the Indian government under the US government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. In effect it is the US government that is selling these planes to India, hence Boeing's delivery to the USAF. India's Ministry of Defence signed an agreement with the U.S. government on June 15, 2011, to acquire 10 C-17 airlifters, making India the largest foreign C-17 customer. The governments finalised the Foreign Military Sales contract for the airframe on June 6, 2012.

Air Commodore Sanjay Nimesh, Air Attaché at the Embassy of India said

"The C-17 met the stipulated airlift requirements of the Indian Air Force when it flew field evaluation trials in India during June 2010," "It was exciting to see the C-17 fly again, this time with Indian Air Force markings, as the airlifter completed its first-flight milestone on Jan. 11. We look forward to the day that the first IAF C-17 flies over India."

After completing its flight trials and IAF acceptance trials, the first C-17 will arrive in India in the late summer of this year.

Boeing confirms, it is on track to deliver four more C-17s to the IAF this year and five in 2014. Boeing will support the IAF C-17 fleet through the Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program (GISP) Performance-Based Logistics contract.

A Boeing spokesperson confirmed that a USAF C-17 would come for the AeroIndia 2013 show, but not the IAF aircraft.

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