India-US begin price negotiations on Boeing C-17 airlifter

[jha]

India-US begin price negotiations on Boeing C-17 airlifter​

NEW DELHI: India and the United States have begun talks here on the price and onboard equipment for the 10 Boeing C- 17 military transport aircraft that the Indian Air Force (IAF) wants.

According to reliable sources quoted by India Strategic defence magazine, the validation trials of the aircraft were complete and that one United States Air Force (USAF) C-17 which had come to India in this regard last month had met the IAF specifications. The aircraft was tested in short and high altitude runways.

As India is buying the aircraft from the US government under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme, the US Department of Defense (DOD) and USAF are leading the discussions from the supplier side and the Indian Ministry of Defence and the IAF are negotiating from the buyer side.

DOD has set the maximum price at $5.8 billion for the aircraft and various systems but the actual price would depend upon what equipment and onboard options the IAF finally selects.

The US government will issue a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) after these discussions are finalized, indicating the equipment, services, and lifecycle support and their costs. There would be a 3.8 per cent administrative fee that the US government now charges on all FMS deals. (This fee varies periodically between 2.5 to 5 per cent).

India Strategic quoted Boeing's Vice President for Global Mobility Systems Tommy Dunehew, who was here recently, as saying that Boeing has offered assured maintenance and supply of spares for the lifetime of the aircraft - say 40 years - and serviceability.

The aircraft is manufactured by Boeing at its Los Angeles facility.

According to an official Boeing statement, the latest large T-tailed C-17 Globemaster-III, which India is seeking, can carry a maximum payload of 74,797 kilograms for 2,400 nautical miles without refueling and 45,495 kilograms for 4,000 nautical miles without refueling.

The aircraft can also be refueled midair to extend its range to carry equipment and humanitarian aid across international distances.

The statement said that the C-17 can operate from "a small, austere airfield in 3,000 feet or less" with full payload. "The C-17 is equipped with an externally blown flap system that allows a steep, low-speed final approach and low-landing speeds for routine short-field landings."

Boeing has delivered 199 C-17s to the USAF. There are 19 C-17 aircraft with other international customers.

India-US begin price negotiations on Boeing C-17 airlifter-Airlines / Aviation-Transportation-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

 

[Indiarox]

India and the United States have begun talks here on the price and onboard equipment for the 10 Boeing C-17 military transport aircraft that the Indian Air Force (IAF) wants.

According to reliable sources quoted by India Strategic defence magazine (..:: India Strategic ::.. Home Page: The authoritative monthly on Defence and Strategic Affairs.), the validation trials of the aircraft were complete and that one United States Air Force (USAF) C-17 which had come to India in this regard last month had met the IAF specifications. The aircraft was tested in short and high altitude runways.

As India is buying the aircraft from the US government under its foreign military Sales (FMS) programme, the US Department of Defence (DOD) and USAF are leading the discussions from the supplier side and the Indian ministry of defence and the IAF are negotiating from the buyer side.

DOD has set the maximum price at $5.8 billion for the aircraft and various systems but the actual price would depend upon what equipment and onboard options the IAF finally selects.

The US government will issue a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) after these discussions are finalized, indicating the equipment, services, and lifecycle support and their costs. There would be a 3.8 percent administrative fee that the US government now charges on all FMS deals. (This fee varies periodically between 2.5 to 5 per cent).

India Strategic quoted Boeing's Vice President for Global Mobility Systems Tommy Dunehew, who was here recently, as saying that Boeing has offered assured maintenance and supply of spares for the lifetime of the aircraft - say 40 years - and serviceability.
The aircraft is manufactured by Boeing at its Los Angeles facility.

According to an official Boeing statement, the latest large T-tailed C-17 Globemaster-III, which India is seeking, can carry a maximum payload of 74,797 kilograms for 2,400 nautical miles without refueling and 45,495 kilograms for 4,000 nautical miles without refueling.

The aircraft can also be refueled midair to extend its range to carry equipment and humanitarian aid across international distances.

The statement said that the C-17 can operate from "a small, austere airfield in 3,000 feet or less" with full payload. "The C-17 is equipped with an externally blown flap system that allows a steep, low-speed final approach and low-landing speeds for routine short-field landings."

Boeing has delivered 199 C-17s to the USAF. There are 19 C-17 aircraft with other international customers.

 

[anathema]

I dont like this deal a bit -- we could have got so many IL's from russia for 5.8 billion dollars... Numbers do matter !

 

[CONNAN]

I dont like this deal a bit -- we could have got so many IL's from russia for 5.8 billion dollars... Numbers do matter !

the problem is the technology gap between IL And C17

 

[Dash]

I dont like this deal a bit -- we could have got so many IL's from russia for 5.8 billion dollars... Numbers do matter !

Why what happened?

 

[Adam Gilchrist]

I dont like this deal a bit -- we could have got so many IL's from russia for 5.8 billion dollars... Numbers do matter !

But can the IL 76 land in airfields in ladakh?

 

[saurabh]

I dont like this deal a bit -- we could have got so many IL's from russia for 5.8 billion dollars... Numbers do matter !

May be there is some difference in life cycle cost and maintenance. So many planes would not worth anything if they are hard to maintain and costly to fly.

 

[Ganga]

I dont like this deal a bit -- we could have got so many IL's from russia for 5.8 billion dollars... Numbers do matter !

I agree with you .The cost is one issue but the most important factor is that the US cannot be trusted.Every now and then they change their colour.The US will be friendly as long as they need us and not a day more.