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C2C Advanced Systems IPO Allotment And Listing Postponed Again? This Could Be The Reason; Details Here
AP News Summary at 5:09 p.m. ESTHORIBA, Ltd. (OTCMKTS:HRIBF) Short Interest UpdateMutual of America Capital Management LLC Sells 1,583 Shares of Sprinklr, Inc. (NYSE:CXM)
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is the United States Air Force's second-largest strategic airlifter (after the C-5M Super Galaxy - the largest US airlifter service ). The C-17 Globemaster III was designed during the Cold War period and first flew in 1991 entering service four years later in 1995. They are currently in service in nine air forces around the world (including the UK, Australia, Canada, India, and a number of Gulf states). Production ended in 2015 and since then, there has been talk about Boeing restarting production (this hasn't happened yet). The C-17s will eventually need to be replaced, but the question is with what? They could be replaced with more modernized C-17s, a similar cargo aircraft, or a completely new design (or a combination of the options). It is possible that a replacement of the C-17 may not even look like a replacement (e.g., it is suggested that space rockets could theoretically take on part of the role). 1 Restarting C-17 production is an option The Air Force has 222 C-17 Globemasters in service Production period: 1991–2015 Number produced: 279 Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas / Boeing The C-17 Globemaster III doesn't necessarily need to be replaced with a new aircraft design. Another option is to just restart production (likely of a modernized variant). An example of this is the older C-130 Hercules being replaced by the new and modernized C-130J Hercules. Restarting a closed production line is expensive, but possible. Internationally, Russia has restarted production of its Ilyushin Il-76 strategic lifter. The US also restarted the production of the C-5M Galaxy after a pause between 1973 and 1985. According to FlightGlobal , Boeing still receives inquiries about potentially reviving production of the Globemaster III. In 2013, Boeing took the decision to end production due to a lack of orders - the last aircraft to roll off the assembly line was delivered to the Indian Air Force in 2019. In February 2024, FlightGlobal reported Boeing's vice president as saying " There are a number of other customers who wish they had acquired it at the time ." Saudi Arabia came very close to ordering the aircraft before Boeing closed the production line. Reopening production for export orders would also make it cheaper for the Air Force to purchase new C-17s if they wanted to. The T-tail design offers greater stability at low speeds. 2 Air Force wants STOVL aircraft C-17s require at least 3,000 feet of runway to operate C-17 Takeoff run at MTOW: 8,200 feet C-17 takeoff run at 395,000 lbs: 3,000 feet Landing distance: 3,500 feet A potential issue is that the Air Force may not see the C-17 Globemaster III as suitable for its needs in the 2040s and 2050s. The Air Force is looking to become a much more agile organization able to operate from dispersed airbases around the world (which is why Boeing's Aurora is developing the STOVL Aurora X). While the C-17 Globemaster III may be a great transport aircraft, it is dependent on runways. The Marines realized their need for an STOVL aircraft during the Iranian hostage crisis of 1979-1981 (this led to the development of the tiltrotor CV-22 Osprey). When the Air Force eventually starts listing the requirements for a future strategic transport aircraft, they may include short take-offs and vertical landings. There are plenty of other things the Air Force may consider as part of their requirements for a next-generation airlifter. These could include increased efficiency (e.g., the efficiencies offered by blended wing body aircraft) and stealth (like the stealthy Skunks Wars NGAS tanker ). The US Air Force is restructuring to counter the ever-changing threats, to be more agile, and to be more combat-ready. 3 Aurora X Planned flight testing for 2027 Type: Stealthy, vertical lift, blended wing, military transport Wingspan: 130 feet Take off: Vertical lift (and landing) While the Aurora X may not be a direct replacement for the C-17 Globemaster, it may be aircraft like this that the US uses to supply the forward operating bases. The Aurora X is being designed with the ability to take off and land vertically while including a blended wing design and stealth (this enables them to operate much closer to contested areas). The current scaled-down demonstrator is set to have a payload of just 1,000 lbs (a far cry from the C-17's 170,000 lbs of payload). Aurora states , " The technology demonstrated in the SPRINT X-plane could be scaled to medium and heavy lift aircraft, creating a future family of systems. For example, Aurora envisions a manned, 130-ft wingspan aircraft with four lift fans and 40-ft payload bay. The FIW aircraft could meet or exceed the payloads, ranges, and speeds typical of fixed-wing military transport aircraft while delivering the tactical advantage of true vertical takeoff and landing ." Aurora's X-Plane in development could prove revolutionary for Air Force logistics if the demonstrator proves successful. 4 Other Potential alternative options Starship reaches speeds of 17,500 miles per hour SpaceX Starship: Can carry 100-150 tons of cargo anywhere in one hour Liberty Lifter: Ekranoplan that could cross the seas and fly JetZero demonstrator: New blended wing body aircraft concept The roles of the C-17 Globemaster do not have to be replaced one-for-one with another strategic airlifter. The Globemaster's roles could be partially replaced by a variety of other platforms. In the future, large aircraft like the C-17 are expected to be too vulnerable to operate in forward operating bases . This will reduce their utility and will require other aircraft to fill some of the roles filled by runway-bound tactical and strategic airlifters today. One eye-catching example is SpaceX's Starship (which can carry a massive payload of 100-150 tons point-to-point anywhere in the world within an hour). Defense One writes , " The Pentagon is also potentially eyeing Starship to help move cargo around the world very quickly, filling the role of a C-17 Globemaster, the Pentagon’s airlift workhorse ." Other options include DARPA's Liberty Lifter ekranoplan (aka ground effect vehicle) which can also fly up to 10,000 feet . The Liberty Lifter is intended to bridge the gap between airlift and sealift. Another option is JetZero's new blended wing body aircraft (expected to have both cargo and tanker uses). JetZero's design mostly has the benefit of being a more efficient design. There are also a range of other smaller drone or STOVL systems that the Air Force could consider. If built, the Liberty Lifter could supply the military with an ekranoplan that combines the benefits of ship and aircraft transportation. 5 Expensive and takes time KC-46A total acquisition cost $44 billion (179 aircraft) C-17 cost in 1998 dollars: $202 million C-17 cost in 2024 dollars: $394 million C-17 Max take-off weight: 585,000 pounds If the United States Air Force wants to replace the C-17 Globemaster III with a similar-sized and similarly shaped aircraft, it would be expensive and take time. It is always possible to design a clean-sheet aircraft or adapt an existing aircraft to fill the role. In 2019, The War Zone reported , " By rotating the C-17s around from active to guard to reserve units and into backup status, the USAF aimed to extend the life of its fleet of roughly 222 C-17s through the early 2030s. It may be possible to extend the life of some of the C-17s further through additional service life extension programs, but doing so would cost money and may have diminishing returns. " Replacing the C-17 and C-5M strategic airlifters does not seem to be a priority for the Air Force at this time. In fact, it seems that the Air Force has a surplus of C-5 Galaxy airlifters to its requirements. The Air Force procured a total of 131 C-5 Galaxies between 1968 and 1989. Most of these were retired by 2017 and sent to the boneyard where they sit in storage. Today, the Air Force only operates 52 upgraded C-5M Super Galaxy airlifters. Blended-wing aircraft promises a major leap in future US Air Force transport and refueling capabilities. 6 Smaller military The US Air Force has 4,000 non-trainer and non-UAV aircraft C-5M Super Galaxy: 52 in inventory C-17A Globemaster III: 222 in inventory C-130 Hercules/C-130J Super Hercules: 276 in inventory (approx) The United States military has been described as a logistics organization that also happens to fight. The US Air Force boasts around 75% of the world's tankers (which can also be used to carry cargo and troops). But the military is much smaller now than in the past. For example, at the end of the Cold War, the US Air Force had 4,556 fighter jets, and by mid-2023 that had fallen to 2,176 aircraft. Looking forward, from 2023 to 2028, the Air Force is planning to retire around 800 fighters while only procuring 345. It's not just the Air Force (e.g., the number of troops in the Army has also fallen). With a smaller military, the US also doesn't need the same amount of transport aircraft as it did in the 1980s. This is possibly part of the reason why large strategic transport aircraft have been out of production in the United States for some time. A smaller military likely means that if the Air Force were to acquire a direct replacement for the C-17 Globemaster III, it would likely purchase them in lower numbers than in the past. With more air forces operating the Super Hercules, the military transports flight hours have now exceeded 3 million hours.