Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES
McDONNELL DOUGLAS (MDC) is about to request that the rights to its C-17 military transport be transferred from the US Department of Defense to the Commerce Department as a prelude to marketing the MD-17 commercial derivative.
The formal request for the transfer of "commodities jurisdiction" will be made "shortly", says Len Tavernetti, senior manager for C-17 business development. "We want to transfer that to Commerce, so the 'MD-17' would be treated just like the MD-90 or MD-11 - so we have to apply for a change."
The company has also begun work with the US Federal Aviation Administration on the process of getting a commercial type-certificate for the transport. "The FAA has the data and is deciding how much of the 5,000h flying hours we've already built up in development testing will be accepted," Tavernetti says.
The FAA decision and the rights transfer, are expected to be completed within three months, allowing MDC to decide by the end of the year, whether to pursue the concept further. The company remains bullish about MD-17 prospects and believes that the commercial version could be available before any foreign military sales. The US Air Force has also agreed to co-operate with the MD-17 effort and is willing to sell slots in the production run.
An idea being promoted by MDC president and chief executive Harry Stonecipher is a joint venture with an airline carrying outsize cargo. "What we are proposing initially, at least, is a revenue-sharing venture with MDC owning the aircraft, and an airline partner operating them," he says.
The MD-17 would have a cargo capacity of almost 78,100kg. Possible changes to the civil version include the removal of specialist military air-drop-cargo attachments and deployment devices on the cargo deck, as well as military-specific systems.
Source: Flight International
