Boeing Co. executives are holding out hope that the C-17 Globemaster assembly line in Long Beach will be going through late 2011, the Long Beach Press-Telegram rerpots.
Earlier this month it was announced the U.S. Air Force has put additional C-17s on its funding wishlist by identifying 15 aircraft worth about $3.9 billion in its fiscal 2009 Unfunded Requirements List.
And Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, followed suit by advising committee members to include money for 14 C-17s in the fiscal 2008 Department of Defense supplemental budget request.
Also, it was announced in mid-February that the Air Force unfunded priority list for 2009 calls for 15 aircraft.
“Potentially that’s 29,” said Dan Page, director of airlift business development for The Boeing Co.
The additional order of 14 C-17s for the 2008 supplemental budget, beyond the 190 operating C-17s in the U.S. Air Force arsenal, would take the Long Beach production line into summer 2010, Page said, adding, “The other 15 would take it to summer 2011.”
