June 15, 2011 By Saurabh Joshi - StratPost
India signed the Letter of Acceptance for ten C-17 Globemaster III heavy lift aircraft on Tuesday.
The aircraft, manufactured by Boeing, will cost USD 4.116 billion and will be delivered in four years.
According to a sources in the Ministry of Defense, Boeing will establish a High Altitude Engine Test Facility as well as a Trisonic Wind Tunnel Facility at India’s Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
“This facility is presently not available in the country and will enable aero engines to be tested in India,” said the sources.
Boeing says this sale ‘establishes India as the C-17′s largest international customer’.
“According to the agreement, India will take delivery of its C-17s in 2013 and 2014,” said a statement issued by the company.
“Boeing will support India’s C-17 fleet through the C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership, a proven multinational Performance-Based Logistics program. The GSP ‘virtual fleet’ arrangement ensures mission readiness by providing all C-17 customers – with varied fleet sizes – access to an extensive support network for worldwide parts availability and economies of scale when purchasing materials,” added the statement.
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