One of the nations biggest defense projects is in Defense Secretary Robert Gates budgetary cross hairs. High on the list of military procurement programs that Gates wants to kill is Boeings giant nimble and $180 million C-17 Globemaster III cargo plane a big part of which is built by Vought Aircraft Industries in Dallas. But the program has survived three previous attempts to end it.
The C-17 including manufacturing and support workers accounts for about 1000 of the 3200 jobs at Voughts main west Dallas plant on Jefferson Street. Vought produces the tail section the nacelles that enclose the four huge jet engines and other components at that facility.
An additional 200 workers are employed on the C-17 program by Texas suppliers of Vought. The program also employs about 100 workers at Voughts Milledgeville Ga. plant and its suppliers.
Gates in his fiscal 2010 budget presentation Monday said the Air Force will have plenty of C-17s to meet the needs for transporting troops and military equipment long distances.
Our analysis concludes that we have enough C-17s with the 205 already in the force and currently in production Gates said.
Boeing has 20 planes still on order from the Air Force plus a handful of foreign sales. At this point it expects to deliver the last C-17 in late 2010 but has contracted with Vought for additional parts in anticipation of further orders.
Vought spokeswoman Lynne Warne said that although funding continues to be an issue it is too early in the political process for any major changes in our business plan at this time.
The C-17 hasnt been on the Pentagons wish list for some time.
It was left out of the last three budgets but Congress appropriated funds for 15 airplanes each in the 2007 and 2008 supplemental appropriations bills. Boeing is hoping for additional U.S. orders in this years supplemental appropriations.
There continues to be bipartisan support for the C-17 so we hope there will be more in 2009 said Jerry Drelling a Boeing spokesman at the C-17 assembly plant in Long Beach Calif. Boeing has 27 C-17 suppliers in Texas providing approximately 4600 jobs Drelling said.
Warne said Vought would strongly support congressional efforts to continue providing Globemaster IIIs to our war fighters via a supplemental funding process.
Location is one factor in the C-17s favor. Its the last plane still produced at the old McDonnell Douglas factory so congressional members from California have been supportive of building additional planes.
Boeing could pick up a few orders from European nations thanks to problems its European rival Airbus has had producing a military transport. The Airbus A400M is years behind schedule and billions of dollars overbudget.
Flight International magazine reported last week that even France has requested pricing and availability data from Boeing on the C-17. France and Britain had planned to begin replacing old cargo planes soon with the A400M.
