Alan Peaford
The US Air Force's C-17 Globemaster III is undoubtedly already a success in the military arena.
Having carried out successful missions in the Gulf, Bosnia and Kosovo conflicts, it is already battle-proven. Now its manufacturer, Boeing, is keen to take it to the civil market.
Tagged the MD-17 Commercial Globemaster, Boeing believes the aircraft can build on the success that the Russian An-124 has enjoyed in the heavy lift sector.
Chris Raymond, Boeing's director, MD-17 business development, says the Antonov has proved that a genuine market exists.
Until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the movement of heavy and outsize cargo depended on the use of military airlifters at considerable cost. Now entrepreneurs like HeavyLift and Air Foyle have been using the An-124 in commercial wetlease partnerships.
"In 1989 there were just two An-124s flying commercially. Now more than 20 An-124s have participated in commercial operations," Raymond says. Boeing forecasts that the market will continue to grow.
In the USA, An-124 operations have more than doubled since 1993 and Boeing projects that it will continue to grow annually at least 12% for the next 10 years.
"We see specialist markets such as the oil, aerospace and heavy manufacturing industries as requiring an aircraft like this," says Raymond.
"The 'just-in-time' concept is as valid for people who make large things as the rest of the manufacturing industries. It is the large logistical needs in frontier industries that we believe we can play a part.
Short runways
"You only need to look at the oil industry in somewhere like Colombia for example," says Raymond. "It can be hostile territory. The MD-17 ability to get into austere fields with short runways cannot be matched."
Boeing has cited examples of other industries. "We have been told of satellites that had been sized smaller because the manufacturer sized the satellite to the 747 opening. But satellites are getting larger."
There have also been concerns about reliability problems with the An-124.
Boeing firmly believes that the civil option of the C-17 is the answer to the problems.
The aircraft is the most advanced large aircraft in the world designed specifically for cargo. It is a high-wing, four-engine, T-tailed aircraft with a rear-loading ramp and large cross-section.
It is the first aircraft to combine the attributes of high reliability, modern avionics, long-range, diverse payloads and that ability to operate at fields with short runways.
The MD-17 will utilise airfields currently unavailable to today's cargo aircraft.
"Many emerging countries have large infrastructure development projects such as powerplants or waterways for example that are not near large airports or sea ports," says Raymond.
The MD-17 can travel between 4,630km (2,500nm) and 8,890km (4,800nm) depending on payloads, before refuelling.
The cargo bay has a rectangular cross-section to better accommodate large vehicles.
Boeing says that it will fit two rows of large trucks side-by side.
The floor can hold heavy objects such as D-8 class bulldozers and other mining equipment. It also has the flexibility to be changed to cater for different size palates or loads.
As other air transport requirements grow, the use of major airports become greater and airfields become congested.
New horizon
"This leads to more cargo operators being forced away from the major airfields, " says Raymond. "The MD-17 is ideal for working smaller airfields. This aircraft opens up the cargo market to a new horizon. It goes to places that the MD-11 or the 747 cannot, but it is an enlargement, not a substitution."
Priced at around $175 million, Boeing sees a market for 20 or 30 aircraft over the next 10 years.
"The MD-17 is the 21st century opportunity to revolutionise air cargo," Raymond says.
Source: Flight Daily News
