Mike Martin
Could small fleets of Boeing C-17 Globemaster aircraft be operated on a pool basis in Europe and even the Middle East one day?
"It's a great idea," says Stuart Thomson, Boeing's business development vice-president, Military Transport, at the show.
"Nobody (at Boeing) has looked at this in detail, but it's a great idea."
In Europe, countries such as France and Belgium with distant commitments might form the nucleus of such a pool.
Aircraft might be based at a common location, with support costs shared.
Nato's Boeing AWACS fleet could serve as a model for such a venture, although Thomson regards it as an imperfect one.
"I'm not sure it is the right model for all co-operative deals," he says.
Thomson believes the UK is a separate issue because it has commitments which call for a wider strategic airlift capability.
The Royal Air Force is studying possible solutions, including the C-17, to its requirement for an outsize lift capability.
Arrangement
Such a pool arrangement might also work in the Arabian Gulf, says Thomson. "We have had no discussions about that but I never say never."
Whatever ideas are developed, he believes that it will take a creative approach to enable such an expensive aircraft to be exported.
It was this approach which got the aircraft into full production: the Pentagon signed its longest and largest multi-year contract - for 80 C-17s - and in return secured a $1-billion saving, made possible by ability to plan production over the long-term. The USAF has ordered a total of 120 C-17 aircraft but it is expected that will be extended to 135.
Production is currently about 10 a year and will peak at 15.
However, Thomson says that in the event of foreign orders, that could grow to 20 aircraft a year.
Source: Flight Daily News
