Fifteen NATO and Partnership for Peace members will sign a memorandum of understanding later this month for a pooled fleet of three Boeing C-17 strategic transports, according to the US Air Force's executive agent for the deal.
"We are on the verge of taking that vague notion and turning it into a reality," Bruce Lemkin, the USAF's deputy undersecretary for international affairs said during the ILA air show in Berlin on 28 May. "I anticipate that in June all of the countries will sign the MoU, and we will go forward to the FMS [foreign military sales] acquisition of two C-17s, plus one that will be provided by the USA."
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in mid-May notified Congress of the possible three-aircraft deal, valuing the proposed sale as worth up to $700 million. NATO's new strategic airlift capability will be operated from Papa air base in Hungary under the command of a USAF officer.
The air force has already identified which of its in-production aircraft will be diverted to NATO service, with the transport due to roll off Boeing's Long Beach, California line in November. "We are going to be up and running very soon," says Lemkin.
While the C-17 is currently threatened with an end to production during 2009, Lemkin says "at least three other countries" are also now looking at possible acquisitions of the type, but declines to provide further details. However, Boeing has previously identified one of these as a Middle Eastern state.
Lemkin also says the USAF's lead role in offering the International Joint Cargo Aircraft - the Alenia Aeronautica C-27J Spartan already on order for the service and the US Army - has drawn strong interest from "25 to 30 countries", including six undisclosed African states. "Just about every country in the world wants that [kind of tactical transport] capability," he says.
Source: Flight International
