Sustaining an industry base

There’s an interesting battle going on in the US at the moment over whether to order a further batch of Boeing C-17 airlifters as part of the FY2010 US defence bill.

Aside from any operational need for the aircraft (for which there clearly is), the question of whether to close the US’s last remaining large military aircraft production line and California’s only remaining aircraft production line is one which may have far reaching ramifications into the future. The USAF has taken delivery of nearly 190 C-17s of a total order of 213 aircraft, while international orders account for a further 19 aircraft including four for Australia. Further orders are expected from Qatar (2) and the UAE (4), while Boeing continues to market the aircraft aggressively in India and other possible markets. But at best, there appears to two or three years of C-17 production remaining on current numbers and the production of some long-lead items will need to be wound down soon. The C-17 production line is located at Long beach Airport in Los Angeles, home of the former McDonnell Douglas commercial airliner plant.